{"id":2192676,"date":"2024-03-05T03:34:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T08:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feinstein-secures-nearly-1-1-billion-for-pet-projects-in-funding-bills-following-death\/"},"modified":"2024-03-05T03:42:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T08:42:22","slug":"feinstein-secures-nearly-1-1-billion-for-pet-projects-in-funding-bills-following-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feinstein-secures-nearly-1-1-billion-for-pet-projects-in-funding-bills-following-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Feinstein secures $1.1B for &#8216;pet projects&#8217; after death"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffeinstein-secures-nearly-1-1-billion-for-pet-projects-in-funding-bills-following-death%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2192676&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Sen.\u2064 Dianne Feinstein Secured $1.1 Billion in \u2064Earmarks for &#8220;Pet Projects&#8221; in California<\/h2>\n<p>The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who\u200c passed away last year, \u200dwas able to secure an impressive $1.1 billion\u2064 in earmarks, also known as community project \u2064funding. These earmarks direct federal dollars to \u2062specific projects in members&#8217; home states and districts, often referred to\u200b as &#8220;pet projects.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Feinstein submitted \u2063265 projects to direct federal funding\u2062 to California.\u200d These \u2064projects were\u2064 included in a package of six government funding bills recently unveiled by congressional leaders.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c range \u2063of \u200dearmarks \u200cis extensive,\u200b covering everything from fire station\u200b repairs to construction projects and grant programs. Each project\u2062 receives\u2064 thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars in\u200d funding.<\/p>\n<h3>Expensive Projects and Military Construction<\/h3>\n<p>One of\u200c the most costly requests from Feinstein was in the Energy and \u2062Water Development Bill, allocating\u200d $194 million for \u2063emergency repairs in Santa Cruz, carried out by the Army \u2064Corps \u2062of Engineers. Feinstein submitted a certification\u200b letter for this project on March 30, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Many\u200c of \u200cthe high-priced projects are related to military construction. For example, Feinstein advocated \u2064for a $66 million project \u2063at Fort \u2064Irwin to construct an Army barracks. Another \u200dproject, with $55 million in funding, aims to provide the Army Reserve with a 1,300-member Army Reserve Center in Bell, California, on federally owned\u200d land \u2063at Patton Hall.<\/p>\n<p>In some \u2063cases, bipartisan efforts were made\u2063 to secure\u200d projects.\u2062 Feinstein collaborated with Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) to secure $731,000 in funding for \u2062a nonprofit group in Orange County, aiming to strengthen human trafficking collaboration for \u200cvictims in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-senators-up-for-reelection-in-2024-mostly-quiet-on-trump-indictment\/\" title=\"Most Democratic senators seeking reelection in 2024 remain silent on Trump's indictment.\">criminal justice\u200c system<\/a>. Another\u2063 joint project by Feinstein, Sen. Alex Padilla (R-CA), and \u2064Kim would direct $3,400,000 to\u200b Orange County for \u2063an Opioid Prevention Plan.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Despite \u2063our \u2063policy \u2062differences, I\u2064 respect \u2063Sen. Feinstein&#8217;s service to our state and\u200d willingness to work \u2064across the aisle to get several vital local projects for my district across the finish line,&#8221; said Kim in a statement\u2062 provided to the Washington\u2064 Examiner.<\/p>\n<h3>The Return of Earmarks and\u2063 Republican Concerns<\/h3>\n<p>In 2021, Democrats ended a\u2064 10-year moratorium on earmarks, allowing their inclusion in spending\u2062 bills. House\u200d Republicans voted in\u200c December 2022 to \u2063keep earmarks, \u200dwhich was seen as a defeat for\u200b conservatives aiming \u200bto control \u200dspending on &#8220;pork.&#8221; Republicans had previously banned earmarks when they gained control of the House in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>While some Senate Republicans initially voted for a one-week extension,\u200b concerns arose after the release \u200bof the new bill. Sen. Rick Scott\u2062 (R-FL) expressed his \u200bgrievances on X (formerly known as Twitter), \u2064accusing Democrats\u200d of using taxpayer funds for &#8220;woke&#8221; projects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Schumer just \u200dreleased the text for the first six spending \u200dbills we&#8217;re\u200c supposed \u2062to vote \u2062on this week that includes 605 PAGES OF\u2064 EARMARKS,&#8221; \u2062Scott stated. \u200c&#8221;One example? \u200cSchumer&#8217;s $1 MILLION ask to build a new \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-nominee-praised-movement-to-defund-police-in-interview-with-chinese-state-tv\/\" title=\"Biden Nominee Praised Movement to Defund Police in Interview With Chinese State TV\">environmental justice center<\/a> in\u2063 NYC&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Scott \u2062also highlighted a request from Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for $963,000 for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, aiming\u200c to help children and adolescents who\u200c have experienced abuse or witnessed sexual violence.<\/p>\n<p>However, there \u2064are defenders of \u200dincluding Feinstein&#8217;s projects \u200din the \u2062funding bills. A Democratic aide explained that directed funding \u200dserves to meet important needs in local communities. Carefully vetted projects, even if\u2063 submitted by a deceased Senator\u2063 or Representative, would be \u200bassessed on their own merits.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers aim to pass the package\u200d of six funding\u2063 bills \u2062through both chambers this week, but the limited time window poses a challenge. With the House \u2064and Senate returning \u200con Tuesday \u200cand President Joe Biden delivering \u200bthe State of the Union \u2062address on\u2064 Thursday evening, \u200bthere\u2062 is\u200b little time left. The remaining \u2063bills\u200d to fund the rest \u2064of the \u200cgovernment must be passed by March 22.<\/p>\n<p> Statement. &#8220;These\u2063 \u2063projects\u2064 will\u2063 have\u200d\u2062 a\u205fpositive\u200d impact \u200con our community and help address important needs.<\/p>\n<h2> In \u2062what ways will these projects directly address \u200dthe specific needs of our community and what measurable outcomes are anticipated as a result<\/h2>\n<p><span>  There\u2064 are\u2063 several ways in which these projects will directly address the specific needs\u200d of our community:<\/p>\n<p>1. Improved infrastructure: One of the projects focuses \u200con \u200benhancing the infrastructure,\u2062 such as building new roads and bridges,\u2062 to address the growing transportation needs in our community. This will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-real-life-iron-man-the-incredible-story-of-elon-musks-rise-to-worlds-richest-man\/\" title=\"\u2018A Real Life Iron-Man\u2019: The Incredible Story Of Elon Musk\u2019s Rise To World\u2019s Richest Man\">alleviate traffic congestion<\/a> and \u200dprovide\u2063 better connectivity, improving the overall\u200d quality of life\u2064 for residents.<\/p>\n<p>2. Enhanced healthcare services: Another project aims to establish \u200ba healthcare center in an \u2062underserved\u2064 area \u200bof our community. This will provide easy access to healthcare services for residents who previously\u200b had limited options. As a result, the community&#8217;s health outcomes are expected to improve, \u200dwith reduced morbidity and mortality rates.<\/p>\n<p>3. \u200cIncreased educational \u200bopportunities: One of the projects \u200dfocuses on expanding educational facilities and programs in our community. This will enable more students to access quality education, leading to increased literacy rates and\u200b improved academic outcomes.\u2062 It will also provide opportunities for skill development, equipping individuals with the necessary \u2064tools\u200c for better\u2063 employment prospects.<\/p>\n<p>4. Economic\u2064 development and job creation: \u2062Some projects are\u2062 designed to\u2064 stimulate economic\u200c growth \u200band create employment opportunities within the\u2062 community. Investment in industries \u200dsuch as tourism, agriculture, \u200cor manufacturing can attract businesses and\u200c generate\u200d jobs for residents. This \u2064will contribute to \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/record-breaking-tornadoes-slam-midwest\/\" title=\"Record-Breaking Tornadoes Slam Midwest\">reduced unemployment rates<\/a> \u200dand improved economic conditions.<\/p>\n<p>The anticipated\u2064 measurable outcomes of these \u2064projects \u2063may include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Reduced\u200b commute\u200c time and decreased traffic congestion by\u2064 X%.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Increase in the number of patients served at the\u200c healthcare center by X% within the first\u200d year.<\/p>\n<p>-\u200d Improvement in health indicators, such as reduced infant mortality\u2062 rate by X% or decreased hospital readmission rates.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Increase in \u2064the\u200d number \u200bof \u2064students enrolled\u2062 in educational programs by X% at the \u2062targeted facilities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Improvement\u2063 in academic performance, measured by\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fetterman-opposes-school-vouchers-for-the-poor-he-sends-his-kids-to-one-of-pas-priciest-prep-schools\/\" title=\"Fetterman Opposes School Vouchers for the Poor. He Sends His Kids To One Of PA\u2019s Priciest Prep Schools.\">higher graduation rates<\/a> or increased\u200d test scores.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Increase in the number of businesses established and jobs created by X%\u200c within a specified timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>-\u2062 Boost in local GDP and overall economic growth\u2064 by X%.<\/p>\n<p>These \u200bmeasurable outcomes\u200c will help assess the effectiveness and success \u2062of the projects in meeting the specific needs of our community.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who passed away last year, obtained around $1.1 billion in earmarks, also called community project funding. These funds allocate federal money to specific initiatives in members&#8217; home regions. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the California senator secured these funds before her demise in September<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2192677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP23221534836244-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2192676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP23221534836244-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2192676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2192677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2192676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2192676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2192676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}