Norton Forced to Ration Earmarks with Reduced Allotments for All Members (6/22/07)

Washington, DC--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced her earmarks awarded out of an in individual allotment of $231,000 per member, sharply reduced from the much larger amounts the House allocated in prior years. Norton designated $131,000 for the Eastern Market in light of the recent fire that has sharply reduced business for vendors and neighboring businesses alike. She looked to her congressional priorities in allotting the remaining amount. Norton gave $40,000 to the Howard University College of Dentistry, which treats poor residents and HIV/AIDS patients, to reflect her priority on HIV/AIDS, because D.C. has the highest rate in the United States. Norton has held two in a series of five town hall meetings on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with each meeting focusing on a different segment of our community. The $10,000 award for MenzFit follows Norton's work on the D.C. Commission on Black Men and Boys, co-chaired by Isaac Fulwood, a member of U.S. Parole Commission and former D.C. police chief, and Russ Parr, host of the Russ Parr Morning Show on WKYS 93.9 FM. Norton allotted $40,000 to the Center for Inspired Teaching and $10,000 to the Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts, consistent with her emphasis on education in the District. Norton's bill for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG)--enabling D.C. residents to attend college in the region and throughout the country at low in-state tuition rates otherwise unavailable to non-residents--has been passed by the House and is making its way through the Senate. She is concerned however, that too few children in the city are being adequately prepared to take full advantage of the bill.

This year's amount for members is in sharp contrast to last year's and other recent years. Last year, Norton got $20 million for projects in the District of Columbia. She believes that she may be able to secure more funds for D.C. residents and businesses through other appropriations this year. The chair of the Appropriations Committee, David Obey (D-WI), set a standard for all committees that earmarks would be cut in half. As a result, the entire Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (of which D.C. is a part) had a very limited amount of money for earmarks. Subcommittee Chairman José Serrano (D-NY) decided to split his allotment 60/40 with the Republicans. The chairman took the Democratic money and split it evenly among the Democratic members who requested funding, giving each member $231,000 for earmarks.