Once again, South Dakota’s Congressional delegation shows no interest in putting their money where their mouths are on reforming the scandal-plagued EB-5 visa investment program. Despite Senator Chuck Grassley’s effort to rouse Congress to action, Rep. Kristi Noem, Senator John Thune, and EB-5-savvy Senator Mike Rounds voted last week to extend EB-5 without any reforms.
Noem, Thune, and Rounds expressed their reform-laziness in the House and Senate votes last Wednesday for the continuing budget resolution (oh yeah, too lazy to pass a real budget, too), which included a provision to extend EB-5 into the lame-duck session. The continuing resolution was the last vote before both Houses recessed from three weeks of “work” to go back home and campaign for six weeks.
Democratic U.S. House candidate Rep. Paula Hawks condemns her opponent’s laziness:
I think South Dakotans are hungry for a Congresswoman able to stand up to special interests and Washington lobbyists. We know the EB-5 program is broken. We know the EB-5 program is riddled with corruption. Yet Congress can’t muster up the political will to institute even the smallest of reforms to increase transparency and integrity over the program. It is an utter failure in leadership [Rep. Paula Hawks, press release, 2016.10.03].
Can we elect Congress critters who can do what they say needs to be done and reform things that need to be reformed?
So the House calendar scheduled 9 work days in July. No work days in August. 17 work days in September. No work days in October. 5 work days in November. 10 work days in December. So in 6 months they have a total of 41 work days in DC.
I understand the need to run for election every two years, though most seats are not competitive. I understand the need to connect with constituents back home. But we have come to the point (maybe long ago) where everything congress does is to perpetuate politics rather than to enact policy. It’s all about the game.
I’m not convinced that EB-5 necessarily needs major reforms. Most other states get along fine with the program. I don’t blame the feds for South Dakota’s corruption problems. Rounds would like to blame the feds for his own failure to maintain proper governmental oversight and his penchant for farming government work out to his friends and business acquaintances.
The first year tea baggers were elected, come orientation day for newcomers, several skipped orientation and were busy whoring re-election funds.
NOem, Thune and Rounds hate veterans, simple stuff, but provable in their blind support for the man who publicly just called veterans who have PTSD, cowards. There is no way they can reform the EB5 when they have the blind support for a turd, to much future money to be made. Joe Bidden calls these three dingalings, our elected dingalings, out for their party loyalty over veterans and veteran issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS0nZt1Rtps
These three are to ingrained at the trough of EB5 corruption to want to reform it. They want to save Hot Springs for the payout they will get, not for the fact they believe in what veterans go through suffering from the mental condition of PTSD. They are too engaged in getting republican votes in Fall River county to challenge Trump on his hate stance of PTSD while they try to fool vets into thinking they care. These three are in it for themselves, they have proven it all along. If there is not a payout for them, they will not reform a thing.
What did you think Photo op would do on this?
@Mosses11, my sources are telling me that Thune, Rounds and NOem have all been taking selfies of themselves with the poster of Julian Assange’s stock poster, this should not be confused with his mug shot. This while waiting for the crushing news of Clinton’s destruction and counting on the EB5 resurrection by their boss of bosses, Crooked Donald. They even went so far as to purchase several of the books being offered by Julian for 40% off, while complaining that their status should give them a higher discount. So the only photo op for Photo Op is just the selfie. My sources tell me not to worry though, as these three amigos will get fooled again while trying to convince South Dakota voters that they really are serious about not doing anything about anything that could help the state and those of us who live here. Now, I have to go back to the mirror to converse with my source about…
What more proof do you need to know it’s time for a change?
Darin, I can see that possibility, but Noem said it needed reform, so I’m just waiting for her to show us how much she meant that statement.