Cummings, Issa battle over federal contractors proposal
Hours before a congressional hearing was set to begin Thursday on a White House proposal that would require federal contractors to disclose political donations Republicans and Democrats were heatedly arguing over the witness lineup.
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, had invited Fred Wertheimer of the Washington-based watchdog group Democracy 21 to testify in support of the draft proposal, but said Thursday that Rep. Darrell Issa, the committee’s GOP chairman, denied the request.
Five of the seven remaining witnesses expected to testify oppose the measure.
“It is deeply troubling that Chairman Issa refused to allow testimony from this coalition of independent experts,” the Baltimore lawmaker said in a statement. “Denying their testimony is a disservice to members of Congress and the public, and it tarnishes the integrity of the committee.”
A spokesman for Issa noted that the witness roster includes an Obama administration official as well as Lawrie Hollingsworth, president of a Chicago-based engineering company that supports the White House measure.
“Cummings has only himself to look at for his failure to coordinate his minority witness request with his Democratic counterparts on the Small Business Committee,” Issa spokesman Frederick Hill said in a statement. “Whatever this committee does, whoever it invites … Cummings always looks for a way to obstruct and whine.”
The White House proposal, which has not been officially released, would require contractors to declare third-party political contributions exceeding $5,000 a year – a response to the millions of dollars in corporate money that flowed into the 2010 election without being reported. Some Democrats have called for more disclosure of those contributions, but business groups and Republican lawmakers say the proposal would politicize how the federal government buys goods and services.
Maryland is a powerhouse for government contracting: Companies in the state secured more than $34 billion in federal business in 2009. A total of 80,987 federal contracts were awarded to 13,277 businesses in Maryland in 2007, according to a 2010 report from the state Department of Legislative Services.
Some Democrats have also expressed concerned about the idea as well. Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the House, said this week that he was “not in agreement with the administration on that issue.” Hoyer’s Southern Maryland district is home to many federal contractors.
The hearing, which is titled “Politicizing procurement: Would President Obama's proposal curb free speech and hurt small business?" will include testimony from two contracting associations, a law professor who has written about his opposition to the proposal and a lawyer who represents federal contractors.
Also included on the witness list is Daniel Gordon, who heads procurement for the Obama administration in the Office of Management of Budget. Because the draft proposal was leaked and has not been formally endorsed by the White House, it’s not clear whether he will directly defend it.
Comments
Stop whining Elijah. You're in the minority now, deal with it.
Posted by: Eddie | May 12, 2011 10:57 AM
simple:Congressman Cummings must follow the rules.O yah by the way, whats Hoyer hiding?
Posted by: far left | May 12, 2011 12:02 PM
Same old Cummings. Whine ,Whine, Whine. We are stuck with him as our Congressman because they added parts of Howard county to his district to keep the Republicans out. He would need to visit map quest to find this part of his district.
Posted by: Tom | May 12, 2011 12:31 PM
Seriously, why won't Cummings just lie down and let Issa's millionaire cronies do whatever they want? It's unconscionable that Cummings wants to present both sides of the argument.
Posted by: Eric | May 12, 2011 12:32 PM
Sounds like a few politicians are ticked off because they are not getting enough kick back money.
Posted by: jmpg1956 | May 12, 2011 12:36 PM
Tom,
Congressman Cummings is well acquainted with Howard County. He is a frequent speaker at the schools, including hosting a forum on helping students with college financial aid. He has also been an advocate for our senior population. This county is far better represented than by his predecessor
Posted by: western HoCo | May 12, 2011 1:36 PM
Mr. Fritze, how about doing some actual reporting? Apparently, Mr. Cummings is claiming that Mr. Issa denied his request for no good reason (presumably because Mr. Cummings witness may be at odds with Mr. Issa's position). Mr. Issa claims that somehow Mr. Cummings did not properly request it. This is the problem with the news media. Just because there are two sides to a story, doesn't mean that presenting both sides make things fair and balanced. Finding out the truth and publishing it does. If one side is lying the press should determine this and call the person out rather than turning it into a he said/she said match and letting people who may have a dislike for Mr. Issa or Mr. Cummings draw conclusions based on their opinions rather than actual facts.
Posted by: Dan | May 12, 2011 3:12 PM
I have an idea how about we require some valid state issued ID to identify voters with at the polling place so we can have some idea who is voting. That way we can have some faith that the "representatives" are representing the citizens and not the unions. Just an idea for you Marylanders to consider. It is called DEMOCRACY IN A REPUBLIC and who knew that public sector unions were the only ones who were supposed to have any say in who represents us?
Posted by: nickel | May 12, 2011 4:56 PM