The Senate bill
will stop Berkeley Earmarks and transfer funds to Marine
Corps.
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators James Inhofe
(R-Oklahoma), Jim
DeMint (R-South Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom
Coburn, M.D.
(R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and David Vitter
(R-Louisiana)
introduced the Semper Fi Act of 2008. The bill would rescind
over $2 million
in hidden earmarks for Berkeley, California in the 2008
Omnibus
Appropriations bill, and transfer the funds to the Marine
Corps. U.S.
Congressman John Campbell (R-California) is introducing a
companion bill in
the House of Representatives.
Last week, the City Council of Berkeley voted to oust Marine
Corps
recruiters from their downtown office, saying the Marines were
'uninvited
and unwelcome intruders.' Berkeley officials also voted to
give the radical
protest group Code Pink space outside the recruitment office
and urged them
to 'impede, passively or actively' the work of Marine Corps
recruiters.
One earmark provides $243,000 in taxpayer dollars for the
organization Chez
Panisse <http://www.chezpanisse.com/>
to create gourmet organic school
lunches in the Berkeley School District. Chez Panisse is
dedicated to
'environmental harmony' and their menu features 'Comté cheese
soufflé with
mâche salad,' 'Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis,'
and 'Chicory
salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast.'
Another earmark would spend $975,000 in taxpayer dollars for
the University
of California in Berkeley Matsui Center for Politics and
Public Service, to
create a new endowment and cataloging the papers of
Congressman Robert
Matsui. U.C. Berkeley currently already has a $3.5 billion
endowment.
Senator Inhofe: 'Unfortunately, those on the Berkeley city
council do not
seem to understand the sacrifice of the brave men and women of
the United
States Marine Corps. By interfering with military recruiting,
the city of
Berkeley is hampering our ability to protect this nation.
While the city of
Berkeley and the protestors are free to say whatever they
like, free speech
is not a protection from consequence.'
Senator DeMint: 'Berkeley needs to learn that their actions
have
consequences. Patriotic American taxpayers won't sit quietly
while Berkeley
insults our brave Marines and tries to run them out of town.
Berkeley City
Council members have shown complete ingratitude to our
military and their
families, and the city doesn't deserve a single dime of
special pet project
handouts.'
Senator Cornyn: 'The Berkeley City Council insulted our troops
and offended
people across the country. If the U.S. Marines are not good
enough for
Berkeley, neither are taxpayer dollars Congress would have
sent there this
year. That city closed its doors on the same individuals
taking bullets on
the front lines while fighting for the safety and freedom of
families in
Berkeley and throughout America.'
Senator Vitter: 'The actions of the City Council of Berkeley
are in stark
contrast to beliefs of the vast majority of Americans who
recognize and
honor the service and sacrifice of our U.S. Marines. This is
simply
unacceptable and those funds could be better utilized by the
Marine Corps.'
Dr. Coburn: 'The actions by the city of Berkeley are
deplorable and
insulting to those who are serving and those who have paid the
ultimate
sacrifice to protect the very freedoms that are being
exercised to insult
them. I know I stand with the majority of Americans in
thanking our service
men and women for their selfless service to our nation.'
Senator Chambliss: 'We need to send a strong message that our
military
personnel deserve our strongest support. Georgia is a proud
military state,
and my constituents will be out outraged to know that during a
time of war,
their taxpayers dollars have been used to reward folks who
have insulted and
disparaged those who defend this nation every day.'
