Topic: CNSNews.com
CNSNews.com cranked out a quartet of anonymously written hit pieces on July 29. The first:
The $715-billion infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month includes a $6,550,000 earmark aimed at stopping people from committing suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, which is in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district.
The $715-billion infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month includes a $7,200,000 earmark for building one block of a road in an industrial area of San Francisco that sits within Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district.
The $715-billion infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month includes a $2,400,000 earmark for that is called a “Community Beautification Project” in Glendale, Calif., which sits in Rep. Adam Schiff’s congressional district.
The $715-billion infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month includes a $2,400,000 earmark for that is called the “Riverside Drive Pedestrian Mall” in New York, New York.
The money was request by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D.-Calif.) in whose Manhattan-based district the money would be spent.
Note that all four of these articles target projects in districts led by Democratic memnberts of Congress, with two of them specifically focused on Nancy Pelosi (part of its multi-pronged war on her apparently). None of these four articles, however, point out that the "member designated project authorizations" in the infrastructure bill that CNS is rather lamely attacking here are also available to Republican members of Congress, and they did indeed take advantage of these earmarks.
For instance, one of the earmarks for Alaska -- which has a single House member, Republican Don Young -- is $5.6 million for phase 2 of the Seldon Road Extension in Wasilla (you might remember Wasilla as being Sarah Palin's hometown). Young issued a press release touting that the money for that projec tand two others in the state are in the bill, adding:
"I am encouraged that following my advocacy for the return of Congressionally directed spending, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is including funding for three separate Alaskan projects as part of the INVEST in America Act," said Congressman Don Young. "For too long, my colleagues and I have been unable to directly request funding for specific projects in our districts. This decade-long ban on 'earmarks' served only to shift Congress' rightful power to appropriate money to the Executive Branch, while denying needed funds to local entities. This Congress, through the Member Directed Projects program, we have begun to take incremental steps toward fully restoring the Article I powers of Congress. The projects approved by the Committee are important ones, and I am grateful for the chance to directly advocate on behalf of these endeavors and the communities they will support.
Yet CNS did not highlight this project or criticize Young for enthusiastically endorsing the idea of earmarks. Why? Because Young is a Republican, and CNS' editorial policy is to avoid criticize Republicans. That's why CNS will never call out President Trump and Senate Republicans for running up deficits during Trump's presidency though editor Terry Jeffrey and crew like to present themselves as deficit hawks -- and no problem attacking Democrats for deficits run up under their watch.
It's hypocritical, biased reporting -- and it's exactly what we've come to expect from CNS.