John Murtha And Namesake Institute Come Under Fire

The Washington Post takes a look at the relationship between Rep. John Murtha and the Pennsylvania homeland security institute that bears his name.

The John Murtha Institute for Homeland Security has been awarded $50 million in federal money, much of it earmarked by Murtha himself, to combat national homeland security threats and environmental dangers. Despite its extensive funding, the institute has made little progress with any of its undertakings, according to the paper. Jeffrey Crane, the organization's director until 2006, called it a "paper institute" with no clear mission, before later retracting those comments.

According to the Post:

"He who pays the most homage to Murtha is the one who gets the money," said Cathy Wentzel, who managed a research group linked to the Murtha Institute and left when her boss was fired."

Critics charge that the institute and other facilities in Murtha's Pennsylvania district are projects that only benefit the Congressman's loyalists.

More here.

--Jenna Staul

Comments

[Organic-Guy]

09:31 AM on 09/24/2009

This kind of thing along with so many makes me sick. We already have a bloated, unnecessary department of homeland security. Why are we wasting money giving charity to some meaningless organization outside of government that does nothing for no one?
I'm sure our national security would be better served by making 50 million dollars available in low interest, easy to apply for loans to small businesses around the country to hire more staff, buy inventory and working capital for expansion. Even if half of those loans were to go belly up more good would come from that sort of government intervention than giving money to meaningless organizations like this that serve only themselves.