Obama used federal grants to buy votes in Congress for unpopular bills
[A]nalysis of grants from agencies during the early years of the Obama administration shows that the districts of moderate Democrats, whose support was so crucial for Obama during the 111th Congress, received large sums right around the passage of three key pieces of legislation: Obamacare, Dodd-Frank financial regulations, and the cap-and-trade bill.
Lachlan Markay at Heritage Foundation
An examination of “administrative earmarks” around the time of congressional votes on key pieces of President Obama’s agenda suggests the White House used its power to fund local projects as a means to “buy” votes for major legislative efforts.
Administrative earmarking refers to the federal government’s allocation of funds from its discretionary budget for specific projects. The practice is less transparent than legislative earmarking, since, according to the Congressional Research Service, “[t]here is no source that defines and comprehensively identifies Administrative earmarks.”
But an analysis of grants from agencies during the early years of the Obama administration shows that the districts of moderate Democrats, whose support was so crucial for Obama during the 111th Congress, received large sums right around the passage of three key pieces of legislation: Obamacare, Dodd-Frank financial regulations, and the cap-and-trade bill.
During the run-up to votes in the House of Representatives for each of those pieces of legislation, the rate of administrative earmarking spiked. This chart shows the number of grants requested by 12 federal agencies, as documented at Grants.gov.
The number of grants given by those agencies spiked precisely when the House was considering each of the three pieces of legislation.
Even more troubling: during the same time periods, significant grant money went to the districts of numerous Democratic representatives who looked to face tough battles for re-election. The legislation Obama was attempting to get through Congress was generally unpopular, and vulnerable members needed other ways to appeal to constituents. Federal grants made for a perfect opportunity.
Then-Rep. Chris Carney (D-PA), for instance, kept his support for Dodd-Frank quiet. His website never posted a press release announcing his “yes” vote on the bill. It did, however, tout two federal grants totaling $3.6 million for businesses in his district two days before the Dodd-Frank vote.
Then-Rep. Zach Space (D-OH) hailed from a district reliant on the coal industry, which would have been hit particularly hard by cap and trade. He voted for the measure, but neglected to publicize the vote on his website. He did, however, announce eight federal grants totaling roughly $1.8 million all made during the month before the House passed cap and trade.
At least 32 vulnerable House Democrats received significant federal grant money in the periods leading up to or directly after their votes on at least one of these three pieces of legislation (see charts below), raising concerns that those grants may have been used either to encourage or reward votes in favor of the administration’s position.
The use of administrative earmarks to “buy votes” is not new. President Richard Nixon saw the practice as “a way to gain political support for Nixon’s re-election by using federal resources and grants to influence key states and voting blocs.”
President Franklin Roosevelt was an early pioneer of the political use of administrative earmarking. He “deliver[ed] large defense projects to key states whose electoral votes he wanted to secure,” according to historian Burt Folsom.
But while administrative earmarking is a practice used by nearly every administration, CRS found in a report published in April 2010 — immediately after the time period at issue — that “[b]oth the number and value of earmarks requested solely by the President increased since FY2008.” The number of earmarks had increased by 54 percent, CRS found, while the value of those requests had increased by a whopping 126 percent.
The timing of those requests also suggests political factors at play. Heritage’s Hans von Spakovsky, a former Federal Elections Commissioner, said the administration’s actions “show how taxpayer funds are used for crass political purposes — it is a rank abuse of the government’s power and another sign of this administration’s lack of a moral compass.”
While speculating on the motives of individuals responsible for these grants is difficult, this administration has a history of using its powers for political purposes. In the case of “vote-buying” in particular, the administration offered to expand Medicaid funding to residents of Louisiana and Nebraska to the tune of roughly $145 million to secure the votes of Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) for the Obamacare bill.
Vulnerable House members:
| . | Member | 2008 vote for member | 2008 percentage of vote for McCain in district | 2004 percentage of vote for Bush in district | 2000 percentage of vote for Bush in district | Identified by DCCC as vulnerable? | Identified by NRCC as target? | Partisan Voting Index |
| . | Alan Grayson (FL-08) | 52.01% | 47% | 55% | 53% | Yes | Yes | R + 2 |
| . | Bart Stupak (MI-01) | 65.04% | 48% | 53% | 53% | No | No | R + 3 |
| . | Bill Foster (IL-14) | 57.74% | 44% | 55% | 54% | Yes | Yes | R + 1 |
| . | Bruce Braley (IA-01) | 64.56% | 41% | 46% | 45% | No | No | D + 5 |
| . | Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) | 51.73% | 46% | 51% | 49% | Yes | Yes | R + 0 |
| . | Chris Carney (PA-10) | 56.33% | 54% | 60% | 56% | Yes | Yes | R + 8 |
| . | Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23) | 55.76% | 48% | 57.3% | 53.6% | Yes | Yes | R + 4 |
| . | Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) | 58.4% | 45% | 53% | 50% | Yes | Yes | R + 1 |
| . | Frank Kratovil (MD-01) | 49.12% | 58% | 62% | 57% | Yes | Yes | R + 13 |
| . | Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08) | 54.72% | 52% | 53% | 49% | Yes | Yes | R + 4 |
| . | Heath Shuler (NC-11) | 61.96% | 52% | 57% | 58% | No | Yes | R + 6 |
| . | Jim Himes (CT-04) | 51.32% | 40% | 46% | 43% | Yes | Yes | D + 5 |
| . | John Boccieri (OH-16) | 55.36% | 50% | 54% | 56% | Yes | Yes | R + 4 |
| . | John Hall (NY-19) | 58.67% | 48% | 53% | 49% | No | Yes | R + 3 |
| . | John Varmuth (KY-03) | 59.37% | 43% | 49% | 48% | No | No | D + 2 |
| . | Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03) | 51.24% | 49% | 53% | 50% | Yes | Yes | R + 3 |
| . | Kurt Schrader (OR-05) | 54.25% | 43% | 50% | 49% | Yes | Yes | D + 1 |
| . | Leonard Boswell (IA-03) | 56.31% | 45% | 49.7% | 48% | Yes | Yes | D +1 |
| . | Mark Schauer (MI-07) | 48.78% | 46% | 54% | 53% | Yes | Yes | R + 2 |
| . | Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) | 45.94% | 45% | 50% | 54% | Yes | Yes | D + 1 |
| . | Mike McMahon (NY-13) | 60.94% | 51% | 55% | 44% | Yes | Yes | R + 4 |
| . | Nick Rahall (WV-03) | 66.92% | 56% | 53% | 47% | No | Yes | R + 6 |
| . | Patrick Murphy (PA-08) | 56.77% | 45% | 48% | 46% | No | Yes | D + 2 |
| . | Paul Hodes (NH-02)8 | 56.4% | 43% | 47% | 47% | No | Yes | D + 3 |
| . | Paul Kanjorski (PA-11) | 51.63% | 42% | 47% | 43% | No | Yes | D + 4 |
| . | Rick Boucher (VA-09) | Unopposed | 59% | 59% | 55% | No | Yes | R + 11 |
| . | Scott Murphy (NY-20) | 50.2% | 48% | 53% | 51% | Yes | Yes | R + 2 |
| . | Steve Driehaus (OH-01) | 52.47% | 44% | 50% | 53% | Yes | Yes | D + 1 |
| . | Steve Kagen (WI-08) | 54% | 53% | 57% | 58% | Yes | Yes | R + 2 |
| . | Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) | 57.2% | 51% | 56% | 52% | Yes | Yes | R + 4 |
| . | Tim Bishop (NY-01) | 58.38% | 48% | 49.4% | 43% | No | Yes | R + 0 |
| . | Zack Space (OH-18) | 59.87% | 53% | 57% | 58% | Yes | Yes | R + 7 |
What they got:
| Members | What they got | |
| . | Cap and Trade | |
| . | Steve Kagen (WI-08) | • A July 2009 award of $4,170,000 through a Business & Industry Guaranteed Loan to Verrette Materials, Inc. and the Champion Company of Gillett, Wisconsin. • A June 2009 award of $163,657 through a Recovery Act grant for Head Start funding to Green Bay, Wisconsin. |
| . | Mark Schauer (MI-07) | • A July 2009 award of $237,000 through a Water and Waste Disposal grant to replace the Slee Road Pumping Station in the Village of Onsted, Michigan. • A June 2009 award of $1,247,115 through the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program for the Family Health Center in Battle Creek, Michigan. • A June 2009 award of $1,092,310 for the Center for Family Health in Jackson, Michigan. • A June 2009 award of $120,948 in Head Start funding for providing full-year, part-day training and technical assistance for children with disabilities to the Branch Intermediate School District in Michigan. • A June 2009 award of $199,857 through the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program to Volunteers of America in Michigan. • A June 2009 award of $1,463,808 in Recovery Act funds for four 35 foot diesel replacement buses and parking lot security upgrades to the Jackson Transit Authority in Michigan. |
| . | Jim Himes (CT-04) | • A June 2009 award of $12,835,255 in Urban Areas Security Initiative and Citizen Corps Program grants to Connecticut. • A June 2009 award of $2.8 million through Recovery Act grants for Norwalk Community Health Center, Optimus Health Care, and Southwest Community Center in Connecticut. • A June 2009 award of $604,846 through a Recovery Act grant to The WorkPlace, Inc. for the YouthBuild program in Connecticut. |
| . | Mike McMahon (NY-13) | • A July 2009 award of $978,410 in Teaching American History Grants for Community School District 31 in New York. |
| . | Alan Grayson (FL-08) | • A July 2009 award of $716,669 in Teaching American History Grants for Lake County School District in Florida. |
| . | Bruce Braley (IA-01) | • A June 2009 award $2,470,880 through the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program for the purchase of new equipment and expansion of electronic medical records to Community Health Center, Inc., Crescent Community Health Center, and People’s Community Health Clinic, Inc. in Davenport, Dubuque, and Waterloo, Iowa. |
| . | Scott Murphy (NY-20) | • A June 2009 award of $2,261,730 through the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program for the Hudson Headwaters Health Network in New York. • A June 2009 award of $124,399 through a Recovery Act grant for Head Start funding to Warren County, New York. |
| . | John Yarmuth (KY-03) | • A June 2009 award of $1,275,000 to reduce health disparities for new mothers and infants for Louisville Healthy Start in Louisville, Kentucky. • A June 2009 award of $13.4 million for the construction of additional taxiways and for rehabilitation of the apron area and runway lighting to Louisville International Airport in Kentucky. |
| . | Rich Boucher (VA-09) | • A June 2009 award of $956,715 through Recovery Act funding for improvements to clinics to the St. Charles Health Council in St. Charles and St. Paul, Virginia. • A June 2009 award of $766,950 through Recovery Act funding for purchasing improvements to a clinic and to purchase new medical equipment to Southwest Virginia Community Health System in Virginia. • A June 2009 award of $445,685 through Recovery Act funding for purchasing a new computer and medical equipment to Bland County Medical Clinic in Virginia. • A June 2009 award of $344,995 through Recovery Act funding for replacing outdated equipment and purchasing new equipment for a clinic to Clinch River Health Services in Dungannon, Virginia |
| . | Paul Kanjorski (PA-11) | • A June 2009 award of $381,000 in Omnibus Appropriations funding for renovating 67 patient care rooms at the Mercy Special Care Hospital in Nanticoke and Scranton, Pennsylvania. |
| . | John Boccieri (OH-16) | • A June 2009 award of $378,000 through the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program for addressing a health center’s immediate equipment and technology needs for the Canton Community Clinic in Canton, Ohio. • A July 2009 award of $2.9 million to construct a transit facility and purchase 5 light transit vehicles to Medina County, Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $444,000 for a bike path and bridge along the Ohio and Erie Heritage Canalway Towpath Trail in Stark County, Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $355,000 for implementation of the 11th Street Revitalization Project to the City of Canton, Ohio. |
| . | Zack Space (OH-18) | • A June 2009 award of $226,364 in Head Start funds to provide handicapped training and technical assistance to Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action in Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $195,000 in Head Start funding for providing handicapped training and technical assistance to the Harcatus Community Action Agency in Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $116,518 in Head Start funding for providing handicapped training and technical assistance to the Community Action Commission in Belmont County, Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $112,768 in Head Start funding for providing handicapped training and technical assistance to Grant Jackson/Vinton Community Action Agency in Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $444,600 for preliminary engineering on widening U.S. 50 in Ross County Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $444,600 for bridge renovations and repairs in Muskingum County, Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $150,000 through the Airport Improvement Program to update a service and economic development plan to Knox County Airport in Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $109,950 through the Airport Improvement Program to remove buildings that are an obstruction for the airport to Newark-Heath Airport in Ohio. |
| . | Steve Driehaus (OH-01) | • A June 2009 award of $1,118,122 through a Recovery Act grant to the Easter Seals Work Resource Center and the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency for the YouthBuild program in Cincinnati, Ohio. • A June 2009 award of $4,969,200 in FEMA funding through the Urban Areas Security Initiative of the Homeland Security Grant Program for Cincinnati, Ohio |
| . | Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) | • A June 2009 award of $1,778,400 to build Little Bay Bridge in New Hampshire. • A July 2009 award of $206,222 through emergency relief program funds to repair flood-damaged roads in New Hampshire. |
| . | Paul Hodes (NH-02) | • A June 2009 award of $577,980 to build a temporary bridge on Route 4 across the Connecticut River between West Lebanon, New Hampshire and White River Junction, Vermont. |
| . | Frank Kratovil (MD-01) | • A June 2009 award of $222,200 for traffic and safety improvements for U.S. 113 to Worcester County, Maryland. |
| . | ||
| . | Dodd-Frank | |
| . | John Boccieri (OH-16) | • A December 2009 award of $444,000 in Recovery Funds for Community Action Wayne/Medina in Ohio for Headstart Programs • A December 2009 award of $112,000 in Recovery Funds for Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools, Marlington Local Schools, and Wooster City Schools in Ohio to retrofit school buses. |
| . | Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03) | • A December 2009 award of $403,274 for Butler County Children’s Center, Inc. in Pennsylvania for a Headstart Program. • A December 2009 award of $700,000 for the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation in Erie, Pennsylvania for radio frequency wave cancer treatment. |
| . | Heath Shuler (NC-11) | • A December 2009 award of $2.2 million to extend a runway at Macon County Airport in North Carolina. • A December 2009 award of $1.425 million to buy land and for construction costs at Western Carolina Regional Airport in North Carolina. |
| . | Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08) | • A December 2009 award of $182,700 for energy efficiency and reduction in Sierra Vista, Arizona. |
| . | Leonard Boswell (IA-03) | • A December 2009 award of $2.5 million to Elevance Renewable Sciences in Newton, Iowa for a biomass project. |
| . | Bruce Braley (IA-01) | • A December 2009 award of $983,300 for the city of Davenport, Iowa for energy efficiency and conservation projects. |
| . | Chris Carney (PA-10) | • A December 2009 award of $1,358,869 in Recovery Funds to Craftmaster Manufacturing, Inc. in Wysox Township, Pennsylvania to install and operate a back-pressure steam turbine. • A December 2009 award of $2.25 million in Recovery Funds to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania to install and operate a 5 megawatt gas-fired turbine. • A December 2009 award of $1.5 million in Recovery Funds to Susquehanna Health for a new heat source for the Divine Providence Hospital in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. |
| . | Nick Rahall (WV-03) | • A December 2009 award of $1,168,000 to Mingo County, West Virginia for water and waste water development. • A December 2009 award of $930,058 to Marshall University in West Virginia for a new Confocal/Multiphoton Microscope. |
| . | Bill Foster (IL-14) | • A December 2009 award of $2,452,172 in Recovery Funds to the Greater Elgin Family Care Center in Illinois. |
| . | Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) | • A December 2009 award of $3 million for the Hyper Tech Research, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. |
| . | Frank Kratovil (MD-01) | • A December 2009 award of $300,000 to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for training disadvantaged farmers and ranchers on the Eastern Shore. |
| . | Scott Murphy (NY-20) | • A December 2009 award of $49.6 million to develop high-speed internet in rural upstate New York. |
| . | Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) | • A December 2009 award of $4,957,300 in Recovery Funds for the Avis Goodwin Community Health Center in Dover, New Hampshire. |
| . | Mark Schauer (MI-07) | • A December 2009 award of $7 million in Recovery Funds for Astraeus Wind Energy, Inc. to develop a new manufacturing system for wind energy system hubs and blade center beams. |
| . | ||
| . | Obamacare | |
| . | Scott Murphy (NY-20) | • A March 2010 award of $4.7 million to repair a water system in the Village of Granville, New York. • A March 2010 award of $807,500 for an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle to Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Glen Falls, New York. • A March 2010 award of $589,000 for new weather reporting equipment to Columbia County Airport in New York. |
| . | Tim Bishop (NY-01) | • A March 2010 award of $112,670 through an Assistance to Firefighters grant to the Yaphank Fire District, New York. |
| . | Bruce Braley (IA-01) | • A March 2010 award of $127,503,336 in Recovery Act funds for education to Iowa. |
| . | Nick Rahall (WV-03) | • A March 2010 award of $72,262,000 in qualified school construction bonds through the Recovery Act to West Virginia. • A March 2010 award of $21.9 million in Recovery Act School Improvement Grants for low performing schools in West Virginia. • A March 2010 award of $1.8 million for Community Health Systems, Inc. doing business as “Access Health” in West Virginia. |
| . | Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) | • A March 2010 award of $65 million in Recovery Act school construction bonds to the 24th Congressional district in Florida. |
| . | Steve Driehaus (OH-01) | • A February 2010 award of $8,439,998 for safety renovations and long-term support of University of Cincinnati research facilities to Cincinnati, Ohio. |
| . | Leonard Boswell (IA-03) | • A March 2010 award of $8,375,000 through Recovery Act funding for establishing a health information exchange and to advance health information technology to the Iowa Department of Health. • A March 2010 award of $4,117,538 through Recovery Act funding and a Preventative Health Services grant for chronic disease control and preventative health services to the Iowa Department of Health. |
| . | Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23) | • A March 2010 award of $6.2 million for the continued operation of a 190-site network of clinics for Centro Med doing business as “El Centro del Barrio” to San Antonio, Texas. |
| . | Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) | • A March 2010 award of $6 million through the Recovery Act’s Community Health Center Facilities Investment Program to construct a new Federally Qualified Health Center for Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center and Healthcare Network to Joliet, Illinois. |
| . | Chris Carney (PA-10) | • A March 2010 award of $4 million in Head Start and Early Head Start funds to Snyder Union Mifflin Child Development, Inc. in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. |
| . | John Boccieri (OH -16) | • A March 2010 award of $16.625 million for a runway safety upgrade and extension project to Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio. |
| . | Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) | • A March 2010 award of $1,100,998 for the construction of a deicing drainage containment facility and the installation of runway sensors to Manchester Airport in New Hampshire. |
| . | Bart Stupak (MI-01) | • A March 2010 award of $726,409 for airport maintenance and improvements at Alpena County Regional Airport, Delta County Airport, and the Chippewa County International Airport in Northern Michigan. |
| . | John Hall (NY-19) | • A March 2010 award of $2 million in Recovery funds for a new water filtration plant for the Village of Warwick, New York. |
| . | Patrick Murphy (PA-08) | • A March 2010 award of $300,000 for Bucks County first responders in Pennsylvania. • A March 2010 award of $129,000 for the Point Pleasant Fire Company in Pennsylvania. • A March 2010 grant of $68,875 for the Newportville Fire Company in Pennsylvania. • An April 2010 grant of $1.2 million for the Coatesville VA Medical Center in Pennsylvania and $100,000 for the Philadelphia VA Medical Center in Pennsylvania. |
| . | Kurt Schrader (OR-05) | • A March 2010 grant of $56,288 for the Hubbard Fire Department in Oregon to have better firefighter training and improved basic functions. • A March 2010 grant of $1,137,425 in Recovery Act funds for funding to assist workers that were affected by layoffs from Joe’s Sports, Outdoor, Auto/Truck and more in Oregon. |
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