Speaking of wastes of taxpayer money…
by David Atkins
One might think that Republicans would object to spending millions of dollars on trumped up political carnivals, but no:
ouse Republicans are planning to spend as much as $3.3 million for this year’s operations of the special committee they created in May to investigate the September 2012 Benghazi attacks, a bigger budget than the House Veterans Affairs and Ethics committees were given this year.
According to a committee document provided by Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s office, House Republicans want a $3.3 million budget for this year’s operations of the 12-member select committee on the Benghazi attacks. As with most congressional committees, the document indicates the majority party gets the bigger share of the resources for the panel; the budget provides just under $2.2 million for Republicans and just over $1 million for Democrats on the committee. There are seven GOP lawmakers and five Democrats serving on the committee, and it is expected to have a staff of 30.
By comparison, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs — which has a roster of 25 lawmakers and about 27 staff members — spent $2.5 million in 2013 and has a $3 million budget for 2014. The Ethics Committee budget for 2014 was more than $3 million, with a staff of about 25 serving 10 lawmakers.
L’affaire Benghazi, of course, is about nothing more than trying to sabotage Hillary Clinton’s chances of becoming president. That’s all it is.
So of course Republicans are spending more money on the circus that is the Benghazi special committee than they do on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
These are not people who actually care about governance–or about saving taxpayer money.
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