Keith Fimian, candidate for Congress in the 11th District, called on both Rep. Gerry Connolly and his opponent in the Republican primary, Pat Herrity to join him in supporting a complete ban on earmarks. In a statement released today by Fimian, he mentioned that many residents in the 11th District oppose earmarks. During Connolly’s term in Congress, he has submitted 57 earmark requests. Meanwhile, Fimian stated that his Republican opponent, Herrity has not taken a stance on earmark requests.
“I call on Gerry Connolly and Pat Herrity to join in me in swearing off earmarks and supporting legislation in Congress to ban earmarks completely and permanently,” Fimian said.
“Earmarks may only make up a small portion of the federal budget, but they are a major reason wasteful, bloated spending bills pass Congress,” Fimian said. “Career politicians believe if they bring enough earmarks back to their district they can secure re-election—even if it is at the expense of future generations. Out of control spending is a serious threat to our way of life, and Congress is addicted to spending. Absent drastic measures, we will not control reckless federal spending. We must ban earmarks.”
“Gerry Connolly has submitted 57 earmark requests for more than $3 billion. He clearly believes in using taxpayer dollars to purchase his re-election,” Fimian said. “And the fact that Gerry Connolly brazenly submits earmark requests for his campaign contributors makes him a poster boy for the potentially corrupting power of earmarks and another reason they must be banned. Despite his terrible record on earmarks, it isn’t too late for Representative Connolly to change course and join me in opposing them moving forward.”
“I also call on Pat Herrity to join me in supporting a complete ban. Herrity needs to take a stand on this issue. Voters will have to make a choice, and they deserve to know if they are voting for another Gerry Connolly when it comes to earmarks and wasteful spending,” Fimian said. “11th District voters overwhelmingly oppose earmarks. They want to fire Gerry Connolly, but they don’t want to replace him with Gerry Connolly-lite.
This race is shaping up to be extremely competitive. With the current economic situation, there is a great need to eliminate earmark requests and tighten government spending.