Transportation, Housing And Urban Development, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Statement

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Mr. CHAFFETZ. With all due respect to my colleague, I'm sure that the people of Monroe County are wonderful, beautiful people, and I wish them nothing but the best. But to suggest that $250,000 doesn't matter is fundamentally what is absolutely totally wrong with this institution. We are $12 trillion in debt. We are spending $600 million a day in interest, and the people of Utah and the people of Florida and the people of Michigan should not pay to try to build up another Monroe County Farmers' Market.

I opposed a parking lot, a $750,000 appropriation, for the city of Provo in my district because I do not believe it's the fundamental and proper role of government to try to transfer a group of shoppers from one mall to another mall. I opposed in Utah a million-dollar expenditure for the Shakespeare Festival because they wanted a new lighting system. This is what is wrong with America.

We have to say no to something. If we can't say no to a farmers market, what in the world are we going to say no to? Time after time after time the gentleman from Arizona has identified projects that fundamentally have absolutely no, no Federal nexus. When is this body going to stand up and take a stand and say, It's not our money; it's the people's money? And we should not be spending Federal taxpayer dollars on another farmers market if it's in my district, if it's in Kentucky, no matter where it is.

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