Politics

House Appropriations Chair Silent On Feds Watching Porn

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Ethan Barton Editor in Chief
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House Committee on Appropriations Chairman [crscore]Harold Rogers[/crscore] isn’t saying if he will support a proposed spending amendment to make it illegal for all federal employees to view pornography on the Internet using government computers.

Rep. [crscore]Walter Jones[/crscore] asked the Kentucky Republican in a March 17 letter to include language in all future appropriations bills that forces federal agencies to block access to porn on government computer networks.

“We are over $19 trillion in debt, and taxpayers are paying for federal employees to waste time at work surfing porn,” the North Carolina Republican said in a statement. “This is a well-documented, government-wide problem. It’s time to put a stop to it. My solution is simple and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in blocking employees at all federal agencies from viewing porn on the job.”

Rogers has yet to respond. He has been chairman of the spending panel since 2011 and is in his 18th term in Congress.

“As always, the committee will carefully consider all member requests,” committee spokeswoman Jennifer Hing told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Hing declined to say when the panel will consider Jones’s proposal.

Jones made the request after seeing a porn-blocking provision included in appropriations bills for only a few agencies.

“We are deeply troubled that it was not included for all the federal government,” Jones wrote.

The missing agencies include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of the Interior, “which have been the subject of high profile media stories about their employees surfing porn at the office,” Jones wrote.

TheDCNF has reported numerous examples of EPA employees caught watching porn. These employees weren’t always fired, and were sometimes promoted.

“Unless necessary as part of a criminal investigation, prosecution or adjuration, federal employees should not be able to view, download or exchange pornography on the taxpayers’ dime,” Jones wrote. “We respectfully urge you to ensure that this important funding restriction is included in all future appropriations bills.”

Republican Reps. [crscore]Mark Meadows[/crscore] of North Carolina, [crscore]Ted Yoho[/crscore] of Florida, [crscore]Paul Gosar[/crscore] of Arizona, John Duncan of Tennessee and [crscore]Cynthia Lummis[/crscore] of Wyoming signed the Jones’s letter.

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