Norton Holds Hearing on Spending of Stimulus Funds in Her Committee's Jurisdiction (2/10/09)

Norton Holds Hearing on Spending of Stimulus Funds In Her Committee's Jurisdiction Tomorrow Morning

February 10, 2009

Washington, D.C. - As the stimulus bill goes to conference, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will hold her first oversight hearing on her subcommittee's section in the stimulus bill tomorrow morning, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m., to ensure that the money is spent quickly and wisely in the country and in the District. The bill will contain between $5.5 and $7.7 billion under the jurisdiction of the subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, which Norton chairs. President Obama has made the Norton section of the stimulus bill a high profile item by repeatedly using it as an example in press conferences and in his speech to the nation Monday night. The Norton section of the stimulus bill emphasizes making federal buildings efficient, but Obama said some have suggested that it would be a waste of money to spend stimulus funds on federal buildings. The President said, "Why would that be a waste of money? We're creating jobs immediately by retrofitting these buildings...and we are saving taxpayers when it comes to federal buildings - potentially $2 billion." The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee calculates that these funds, at almost $8 billion, will create 224,000 jobs.

In case of federal buildings, the savings in the energy costs are direct savings for taxpayers because the federal government pays for the heating and air conditioning of all federal buildings. Norton said this provision in the stimulus package will quickly pay for itself, and the President says this is a key provision to wean the nation off dependence on foreign oil. The Norton hearing tomorrow is to examine how this money will be used and to lay the predicate for oversight throughout the year on expenditures of the funds.

Norton has informed her subcommittee to expect frequent hearings on the stimulus bill. Tomorrow morning the Congresswoman also will hold a bi-partisan meeting with the members of her subcommittee to discuss the agenda for the year, an agenda that will include GSA authorization, FEMA, and EDA authorization.

In her opening statement, Norton said "the focus of the President and the Congress on public works and infrastructure as a principal driver of the upcoming recovery package in itself requires an examination of the GSA major federal public works agency. Proposals are in the recommended congressional recovery package... for major projects which must continue, including one of unprecedented size and scope, the Department of Homeland Security headquarters on the campus of Saint Elizabeths."