February 6, 2009, 2:30 pm
Senate Passes ‘Mob Museum’ Prohibition in Stimulus
Patrick Yoest reports on the stimulus debate.
The Senate passed an amendment Friday aimed at barring the use of stimulus spending on wasteful projects — and specifically, to stop the use of federal funds for a museum devoted to the history of organized crime.
The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) prohibits the use of funds from the roughly $935 billion Senate stimulus bill for a range of projects. But it was inspired by the remarks of Las Vegas, Nev., Mayor Oscar Goodman, who in a speech proposed the use of federal stimulus funds for $50 million “mob museum.”
The amendment passed by a 73-24 vote.
The planned Las Vegas museum has become a punching bag for Senate Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) who have sought to make it a symbol of wasteful spending in the stimulus plan. The current stimulus bill does not specifically allocate funds for the museum, and the Coburn amendment would keep the federal government from steering any funds toward the museum and a number of other potential projects.
Coburn’s amendment specifically prohibits the use of stimulus funds for items including a “casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project.”
Goodman may get the last laugh, however. He and other museum proponents recently told the Las Vegas Sun that the recent controversy surrounded the museum have probably resulted $7 million in free publicity.
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Wow, now the stimulus money can’t go to creating jobs by building/renovating zoos, aquariums, theaters, or art centers. Fantastic
Comment by bchampion - February 6, 2009 at 3:38 pm
If those projects are worthwhile (for creating temporary construction jobs or whatever), then they should be funded locally. How is transferring money from the federal government to the local governments going to stimulate the overall econ
Senate Passes ‘Mob Museum’ Prohibition in Stimulus
Patrick Yoest reports on the stimulus debate.
The Senate passed an amendment Friday aimed at barring the use of stimulus spending on wasteful projects — and specifically, to stop the use of federal funds for a museum devoted to the history of organized crime.
The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) prohibits the use of funds from the roughly $935 billion Senate stimulus bill for a range of projects. But it was inspired by the remarks of Las Vegas, Nev., Mayor Oscar Goodman, who in a speech proposed the use of federal stimulus funds for $50 million “mob museum.”
The amendment passed by a 73-24 vote.
The planned Las Vegas museum has become a punching bag for Senate Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) who have sought to make it a symbol of wasteful spending in the stimulus plan. The current stimulus bill does not specifically allocate funds for the museum, and the Coburn amendment would keep the federal government from steering any funds toward the museum and a number of other potential projects.
Coburn’s amendment specifically prohibits the use of stimulus funds for items including a “casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project.”
Goodman may get the last laugh, however. He and other museum proponents recently told the Las Vegas Sun that the recent controversy surrounded the museum have probably resulted $7 million in free publicity.
Permalink | Trackback URL: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/02/06/senate-passes-mob-museum-prohibition-n-stimulus/trackback/
Save & Share: Share on Facebook | Del.icio.us | Digg this | Email This | Print
Read more: Congress, Economy
Comments
Report offensive comments to washwire@wsj.com
Wow, now the stimulus money can’t go to creating jobs by building/renovating zoos, aquariums, theaters, or art centers. Fantastic
Comment by bchampion - February 6, 2009 at 3:38 pm
If those projects are worthwhile (for creating temporary construction jobs or whatever), then they should be funded locally. How is transferring money from the federal government to the local governments going to stimulate the overall econ
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