Johnson Comments on Filibuster of Omnibus Spending Bill

Statement

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today commented after opposition last night prevented the Omnibus spending bill from moving forward. The bill would have funded the federal government through Fiscal Year 2011 and provided resources for many South Dakota priorities like Lewis and Clark, Mni Wiconi and South Dakota universities.

I'm disappointed that funding for Lewis and Clark, Mni Wiconi, Ellsworth Air Force Base and the groundbreaking research being done at South Dakota universities is now in question after this bill was blocked from moving forward. When used responsibly, earmarks are not a symbol for over-spending or government waste, but an investment in our local communities.

I have been elected by the people of South Dakota to do a job, and that includes providing for worthy projects in my state. The failure to pass this bill means that the decisions on funding matters for South Dakota projects next year now rests not with elected members of Congress, but with nameless, faceless bureaucrats in Washington.

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