Van Hollen release

Van Hollen Statement on President Obama’s Budget

Washington, Feb 1, 2010 -
Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Assistant to the Speaker, issued the following statement on President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2011:

“Today President Obama released his budget for fiscal year 2011, and I am pleased to see this plan puts America on a path towards fiscal stability and reduces our deficit over the long term. The President inherited an economic mess, and has been working tirelessly with Congress over the past year to turn things around and get our fiscal house in order. Things have improved, and this budget – along with our PAYGO legislation – will go a long way towards ensuring we spend within our means, reduce our deficit, and create fiscal stability in our nation. Unlike the budgets of the previous administration, this budget makes the hard decisions necessary to rebuild our economy and does not kick the can down the road for future generations to deal with.

“This budget also makes targeted investments in job creation, education, and extending the Making Work Pay tax cut to 95 percent of Americans. While we work to reduce spending in a variety of areas, it is important that we continue to make investments that will strengthen our economy in the short and long term. I look forward to further reviewing President Obama’s budget as part of House Ways and Means Committee hearings, and continuing to work with him to improve America’s economy.”

RedState

So the Coakley vs. Brown MA SEN race is for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, right?  Apparently Chris Van Hollen forgot this fact when he stated:

Why would you hand the keys to the car back to the same guys whose policies drove the economy into the ditch and then walked away from the scene of the accident?

…into a ditch and then walked away“?  A DITCH?  Really?  REALLY?

I’ve been accused of speaking without thinking before, but Van Hollen goes into the HOF for this one.

Ted Kennedy.  ”Into a ditch and walked away”.

Wow.

(PS: DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!)

I posted the other day about a new congressional expense report released for the 3rd Quarter of 2009. The complete report is here. I also have the numbers from the Maryland delegation below. The funding source is taxpayer dollars. Based on the Maryland delegation, Lockheed Martin Desktop Solutions and The Accurate Word LLC are really raking in the cash from all the members of Congress from the whole country.

The left column of figures is year to date (YTD) while the right column is for the 3rd Quarter. You can click on the thumbnails to get the full-sized image. I provided commentary on specific items below the general numbers. The commentary is just based on what looks unusual to me.

Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD-01)

Kratovil spent approximately $15K in district office rent for the quarter. One large expenditure was over $18K in June to American Direct Mail. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02)

Ruppersberger is paying Onstar memberships in his expenses as well as a significant amount  (over $26K for just one quarter) of rent to COPT. There is also a new purchase of nearly $6700 in furniture for the quarter. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

John P. Sarbanes (MD-03)

District office rent payments to the H. Adams Limited Partnership are approaching $16K for the quarter. There is one large printing bill totaling over $25,000. There are home security system expenses itemized as well. One curious thing is a payment for web and email services to Liberty Concepts. As far as I know, the House has its own email servers and its own web servers for members to use. I’m curious what the $2,000 to them for this quarter actually went for. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Donna Edwards (MD-04)

Edwards has probably the longest itemized list so it would take further research to find any patterns or trends. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Steny Hoyer (MD-05)

Reports from earlier this week indicated Hoyer spent $1,561 on bottled water alone this quarter. Cities across the country have been banning purchases of bottled water since the U.S. Council of Mayors endorsed such measures in 2007 as away to limit the environmental impact the plastic bottles have. Maryland bans on bottled water include Takoma Park and the University of Maryland. I seem to remember a proposed ban in Baltimore City and/or Annapolis as well.

There are also over $25K in district office rental expenses for the quarter.

One example of where the money goes is in an August event. Hoyer spent $5379.66 on food and beverage expenses just to Middleton Hall. There was also $400 in space rentals paid to Middleton Hall. On August 28, Hoyer hosted a Women’s Equality Day Luncheon at the hall. The featured speaker was HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The number of attendees is not listed anywhere and other expenses itemized on the report are likely also associated with this event. The banquest menu for the venue indicates a basic price of $22.99 a person (not including taxes or gratuities.)

You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Roscoe Bartlett (MD-06)

Bartlett spent an estimated $16K+ in district office rent for the quarter. His office also used Fireside21 for web and internet services in addition to the in-house services provided on the Hill. You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Elijah Cummings (MD-07)

Cummings broke the $1 million mark for the year in just 3 quarters. Cummings spent just over $20K in the 3rd Quarter alone on district office rent. His largest food and beverage expense for 3rd quarter was approximately $3900 spent at Morgan State in June.

You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

Chris Van Hollen (MD-08)

Van Hollen spent just under $22K in district office rent for the quarter. Fireside21 also has been paid by Van Hollen.You can go to the PDF of the full report here to look at the itemized expenses yourself.

UPDATE

Bryan Sears wrote on this topic and received a reply from Sarbanes’ office:

Makeda Scott, communications director for Rep. John Sarbanes called at 4:30 p.m. to explain the “home security expenses” referenced on Insidecharmcity.com.

“It’s actually for security for the front door of the district office in Towson,” Scott said.

Van Hollen release

Van Hollen Votes to Create Jobs, Boost Economic Growth

Washington, Oct 29, 2009 -
Today Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) issued the following statement on House passage of the Small Business Financing and Investment Act:

“This legislation will help small businesses recover as the country struggles to right itself in the aftermath of the greatest economic downturn in a generation. By investing in our nation’s entrepreneurs and expanding their access to necessary credit, we help the entire country. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. They represent almost eight out of every ten new jobs created in our country, and their success is a key element of our Economic Recovery Plan.

“Last week I joined the President in Hyattsville, Maryland to discuss the work Congress and the Obama Administration are doing to create jobs and expand credit access to small businesses. In passing this bill today, we have made significant progress in our efforts.”

Van Hollen release

Van Hollen Statement on Passage of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Conference Report
Report Provides Critical Funding for the Chesapeake Bay

Washington, Oct 29, 2009 -
Today Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) issued the following statement on final passage of the FY 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations Conference Report:

“Passage today of this important funding measure will allow us to make significant strides in protecting our air, cleaning up our waterways, and restoring our public lands. The measure places a strong emphasis on reducing air and water pollution; tackling dangerous toxic waste sites; and encouraging energy efficiency. This Conference Report supports our economic recovery efforts by making critical investments in key climate change research and encouraging the production of clean, renewable American energy. It also reduces or eliminates 55 programs to maintain fiscal responsibility.

“I am particularly pleased that this legislation makes historic investments in the improvement of the Chesapeake Bay. Through the Environmental Protection Agency, we have included $50 million as part of its core Bay oversight program. President Obama made his commitment to the Bay clear, and this funding will help us protect our national treasure. Additionally, in my own district, we have provided funding to help Rockville improve its sewer systems, which will not only help the city but also reduce run-off into the Bay.

“We have a long history of protecting our magnificent natural resources, and this Conference Report continues that legacy. I am proud to have joined my colleagues in supporting this vital investment in our nation.”