03 August 2007

House Erases Mollohan Earmark - UPDATED

U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, lost his bid to provide $1.5 million to his district's Canaan Valley Institute when the provision was removed Thursday from a pending appropriations bill.

"Since being established in 1995, the organization has received more than $30 million in federal money earmarked by Mollohan. That represents the lion's share of its budget," The Associated Press reports.

But "earlier this year, the institute turned over more than 15,000 documents in response to FBI subpoenas for financial records," the AP report continues, as Mollohan is reportedly "under Justice Department investigation into whether he has benefited from steering money to such groups."

The money was in earmarks for three separate projects. House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., recommended their removal from the bill through a procedural vote, the AP article said, though it had previously passed his committee.

"We had determined that because they were in controversy, for the good of the House, they should not be considered at this time," Obey said.

(Update: Mollohan tells the Charleston Daily Mail "he personally requested the removal" of the earmarks, and his office says "reports that the funding was pulled by other lawmakers are incorrect."

The Hill also reports that Appropriations "Committee Democrats acted in 'accordance of (Mollohan's) wishes and others’ wishes,'" quoting a staffer for the House Rules Committee, which yanked the provision in a procedural move.

The beltway newspaper further observes that "Instead of forcing Mollohan to offer and debate the amendment on the floor, the Rules Committee simply struck the earmarks from the bill.Republicans immediately questioned the move. Jo Maney, spokeswoman for panel Republicans, said it was a 'completely unprecedented' use of the committee to avoid an embarrassing public capitulation.")

The apparent investigation into Mollohan's earmarks and related matters was a topic on the House floor earlier this week.

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