After an internal struggle within the House Republican caucus, the GOP Steering Committee voted to select Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) as the new Chairman for the Appropriations Committee yesterday. Rogers campaigned for the position promising to carry out the wider Republican agenda of defunding popular progressive policies, particularly with a pledge to “stop” money from being spent on health reform. Despite a pledge to be a fiscally responsible chairman, Rogers has one of the worst records in Congress when it comes to reducing the deficit: he voted for both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, trillions of dollars worth of Bush tax cuts, and is affectionately known as the “Pork King” for requesting nearly half a billion dollars worth of earmarks. However, earmarking and these votes are fairly common within the Republican caucus.
New GOP Appropriation Chair Secretly Lobbied For Health Reform Money He Called ‘Socialistic’
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