WASHINGTON –To help fix a broken system of Washington spending and not just let the old business-as-usual ways continue, Congressman McCarthy is again disclosing his district funding requests to be considered in this year’s appropriation bills. This supports his effort to increase transparency and accountability, and also encourages more Members of Congress to do the same so the public can view each request. 

     “I am working for reform to make Congress more accountable,” said McCarthy. “It is Congress’s job to listen and act, and the people are rightly calling for Congress to fix a broken Washington spending system that wastes more and more taxpayer money for unworthy projects. That is why I am once again releasing all my funding requests and will post them on my website for the public to view. This year, I only requested funding for defense projects in our district. I am proud of these funding requests that serve to strengthen our national security. I have also self-imposed additional safeguards to ensure our tax dollars are spent smarter and more responsibly. I encourage my Congressional colleagues to do the same.”

     Below is a list of Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s district funding requests for all 12 government funding bills. For the 2009 fiscal year, Congressman McCarthy limited his requests to only military and defense related projects in the 22nd District. In addition, earlier this year, Congressman McCarthy also supported a one-year moratorium for Members making district funding requests so the House of Representatives can revamp and reform the current broken funding process. Since the House has failed to impose a moratorium, Congressman McCarthy adopted new self-imposed rules of only requesting defense-related funding, and will adopt all the House Republican Conference’s reforms – (1) no more airdropping earmarks into funding bills behind closed doors without transparency and debate, (2) no more distributing money through “front organizations” that just distribute money and don’t manage the project, (3) requiring funded projects to have a plan in place for exactly how the money will be spent, (4) placing these spending plans in the Congressional Record, (5) requiring matching funds for funding private entities, and (6) no more funding “monuments to me.”

     This fiscal year, Congressman McCarthy’s 8 national defense and military-related project funding requests totaled $38,428,000. The district funding requests invest in programs that affect Edwards Air Force Base, the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division at China Lake, and California National Guard Base Camp San Luis Obispo to improve our nation’s weapons technologies through research, testing, and evaluation and to improve the quality of life for those proudly serving at our installations.  Finally, McCarthy joined other colleagues in expressing their support for funding (in many cases, continued funding) of existing Federal programs, such as: the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, which reimburses states like California for the costs of incarcerating criminal illegal aliens; the Army Corps of Engineers’ Dam Safety and Seepage/Stability Correction program, which funds dam safety and security projects like those needed on Isabella Dam; the Valley Fever Vaccine Research Grant program, which would fund competitive grants to help develop a vaccine to combat against Valley Fever that effects many southwestern states; the Space Transportation Infrastructure matching grant program, which would help support spaceports like the one in Mojave; the Joint Cotton Pests Account, which would continue the successful eradication of certain cotton pests harming America’s cotton industry; the USDA Rural Water Grants and Loan Program, which would provide investment assistance for clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas; and the Readiness and Environment Protection Initiative, which would continue to fund our military to partner with state and local governments and conservation groups to establish buffer zones to protect military testing and training areas around the country.

REQUESTS BENEFITING THE 22ND DISTRICT AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA:

FY 2009 Requests in Defense

• McCarthy requested $2,400,000 for the Flow Path Analysis Tool to assist our Navy in constructing more efficient engine design.
• McCarthy requested $5,500,000, for a total of $14,690,000 (including the $9,190,000 in the President’s Budget), for Solid Boost Propulsion Technology to further research and development of ballistic systems.
• McCarthy requested $3,000,000, for a total of $7,500,000 (including the $4,500,000 in the President’s Budget), for Hydrocarbon Boost Technology to help develop new liquid booster technology.
• McCarthy requested $5,100,000 for the Next Generation Electronic Warfare Simulator to prepare and train for emerging electronic warfare threats.
• McCarthy requested $2,801,000 for the Airspace Safety Enhancement Project to increase communications in the R-2508 Airspace.
• McCarthy requested $6,000,000 for the Micro-munitions Interface for Tactical Unmanned Systems for the integration of micro-munitions for operation with tactical class air and ground unmanned systems.

FY 2009 Requests in Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

• McCarthy requested $6,000,000 to finish funding Phase IV to complete the final phase of replacing Edwards Air Force Base’s main runway, which is used for defense activities and as a landing site for NASA shuttle missions.
• McCarthy requested $7,627,000 to replace the Organizational Maintenance Shop at Camp San Luis Obispo to support maintenance activities on vehicles assigned to units at the installation.

FY 2009 Requests in Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies

None.

FY 2009 Requests in Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

None.

FY 2009 Requests in Energy and Water Development

None.

FY 2009 Requests in Financial Services and General Government

None

FY 2009 Requests in Homeland Security
 
None.

FY 2009 Requests in Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

None.

FY 2009 Requests in Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

None.

FY 2009 Requests in Legislative Branch

None.

FY 2009 Requests in State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies

None.

FY 2009 Requests in Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

None.

Click on the following links to view Congressman McCarthy’s other efforts to make Washington spending more accountable and transparent:

• Disclosed all funding requests on his website (one of a handful of Members to do so last year): http://www.kevinmccarthy.house.gov/showarticle.asp?ID=30
• Fought for rules allowing greater transparency in funding: http://www.kevinmccarthy.house.gov/showarticle.asp?ID=26
• Signed a petition to apply transparency rules to all bills: http://www.kevinmccarthy.house.gov/showarticle.asp?ID=102

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