Boozman a Shameless Deceiver

Congress this week approved an Omnibus Budget measure funding 14 Cabinet agencies, as well as a number of earmarked pork project appropriations for Northwest Arkansas. Transportation funding includes $2.63 million for a taxiway at XNA, $490,000 for the proposed Bella Vista bypass, and $656,600 for a study of a "Northwest Arkansas Western Beltway" west of Interstate 540 in Benton and Washington counties. Nothing for mass transit.

In addition, the University of Arkansas will receive $825,183 for the Institute for Food Science and Engineering; $1.57 million for the poultry production and product safety research unit; $267,900 for the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences; $577,926 for the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information; $500,000 for infrastructure improvements at Arkansas Research and Technology Park in Fayetteville; and $446,500 for the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers.

Fayetteville gets $656,600 for an affordable housing program designed to make it easier for teachers, police officers and firefighters to become homeowners; $446,500 for a new communication system for the Fayetteville Police Department, and $295,320 for water system improvements. Then there is $492,200 for the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority for sewer and wastewater services in Benton and Washington counties.

In announcing the projects for Northwest Arkansas, our duplicitous Republican Rep. John Boozman of Pinnacle tried to claim credit and said, “This shows what the Arkansas delegation is capable of – putting the state first.” What he failed to disclose is that every other Arkansas Congressman and both Senators voted for the Omnibus Budget bill, but John Boozman voted Against it and every appropriation for Arkansas.