June 14, 2009

Rep. Hoekstra: Federal Strings Cost State Road Money

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra

Across the nation, road projects funded by federal stimulus dollars are slowly underway. It should be appropriately assumed that Michigan's nearly $873 million in stimulus funding for road construction be awarded to the state government with the flexibility necessary to fund its highest priority projects. Unfortunately, as is typical with most federally funded initiatives, the money is being sent to the state with some costly strings attached.

Upon entering a construction zone in Michigan, the federal government is mandating that you know where the funding originated by forcing county road commissions to post notification at stimulus-funded sites. The signs reading "Project Funded by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" and touting Gov. Jennifer Granholm's name at the bottom, cost an estimated $1,000 each. If that is not enough, depending on the length of the project, multiple signs may be required. By adding up the costs of these signs at projects nationwide, the waste is simply staggering and wholly unnecessary.

This "Brought to you by Washington" mentality is further indication that the federal government is not suited to prioritize the spending authorized in this colossal spending package. Even Vice President Joe Biden, the man charged with supervising the implementation of the stimulus package, recently issued a blunt assessment stating, "We know some of this money is going to be wasted."

Leadership in Washington and Lansing must not continue to shrug their shoulders and claim that waste is inevitable. It is not. By granting states and local communities full flexibility to spend taxpayer funds where they are needed most, we can greatly diminish this squandering away of the people's hard-earned money.

U.S. Rep Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, is a candidate for governor.

Federal Strings Cost State Road Money