Brown supremacists strike it rich — again.
A $950,000 earmark for a Hispanic civil rights and advocacyorganization in the omnibus spending bill that passed the U.S. HouseWednesday has drawn the ire of U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron.
The Iowa Republican called the National Council of La Razaa “pro-amnesty organization” and said “the last thing Congress shouldbe doing is handing out cash to apologists for immigration lawbreakers.”
“American taxpayers do not support La Raza’s agenda or its positionin support of amnesty for illegal aliens,” King said in a statement.
La Raza has been a focal point of conservative criticism over theyears, ranging from claims that it encourages illegal immigration tothe United States to accusations that it is exclusionary in itsapproach to civil rights.
In an open letter to the public entitled “The Truth about NCLR,” thegroup’s president tried to put those rumors to rest, pointing out thatimmigration legislation La Raza has supported in the past, theMcCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill, called for comprehensive reform, including improved border security.
The money in the omnibus bill is for “nationwide community development activities,” according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that has combed through the bill and listed all the earmarks it contains.
La Raza points out that any federal money it receives for housing and community development projectsis directed to its subsidiary, the Raza Development Fund. Thatorganization’s job is to bring private capital and developmentassistance to local organizations serving Latino families in areas suchas affordable housing, primary health care and educational facilities.No money from earmarks goes to advance La Raza’s public policy effortson immigration.
King is not alone in his criticism of certain earmarks in the omnibus bill.Many conservative lawmakers are calling on President Barack Obama todemand the extra spending be eliminated from the bill now before theU.S. Senate, but Democrats are quick to point out Republicans haverequested their fair share of earmarks, too.
Taxpayers for Common Sense counted more than 8,500 earmarks in thebill with a cost of $7.7 billion, up 3.4 percent from last year. Democraticleadership estimates that the total earmark value is about $3.8billion. In the Transportation/Housing & Urban Development portionof the omnibus bill, which is where the La Raza earmark is included,King has requested nearly $2.3 million worth of earmarks, mostly for road and bridge projects in his western Iowa district.
While King’s only public statement on the omnibus bill has beencritical, his House Republican counterpart, Rep. Tom Latham of Ames,released a statement Thursday praising the bill for including millionsof dollars for a “wide range of projects at Iowa State University,”which is located in his hometown.