Rep. Joseph Cao, R-La., is one of at least three House Republicans to ignore his caucus's ban on requesting fiscal year 2011 earmarks. Cao requested projects totaling more than $500 million for his district.
He joins perennial earmarker Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who also requested earmarks despite the Republican moratorium.
Cao was the sole Republican to vote for the original House health care bill in November 2009; at the time, Bloomberg.com characterized him as "the Democratic
majority’s most reliable Republican," noting that the freshman Republican won in a district where President Barack ...
House kills PMA probe
The House on Thursday night turned back another call to investigate the PMA Group, a once-powerful lobbying firm whose offices were recently raided by the FBI and which has close ties to Pennsylvania Rep. John P. Murtha (D).Twenty-one Democrats, including nine freshmen, voted to proceed with debate on the measure offered by Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake (R) calling for an investigation of the lobbying firm. Most of the Democrats represent fiscally conservative districts.
Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska--the focus of an unrelated federal corruption probe--voted with the Democrats to table Flake's motion. He was joined by ...
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