Apr 25, 2008 3:45 pm US/Central
Bachmann Defends 'No Earmarks' For Bridge
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) ―
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Many of Bachmann's constituents in the St. Cloud area are concerned about funding for the replacement of the Highway 23 Bridge. Bachmann says she'll seek grant money, but not earmarks, for the project. (File)
Courtesy Michele Bachmann
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MnDOT closed the Highway 23 bridge March 20 after inspectors found slight bowing in four of its gussets, the steel plates that connect the bridge's girders.
CBS
A recent Census Bureau report hasn't changed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's decision not to seek federal earmarks for the state.
She's among a small group lawmakers who have sworn off earmarks for the 2008 fiscal year in order to reform that part of the budgeting process.
Lawmakers insert earmarks into legislation to fund special projects, usually in their home districts. They have been criticized as wasteful.
A recent Census Bureau report says Minnesota ranked 47th in the amount of tax money it got back from the federal government in 2006.
A spokesman for the 6th District Republican says she's still fighting for local projects, just not through the earmark process.
Many of Bachmann's constituents in the St. Cloud area are concerned about funding for the replacement of the Highway 23 Bridge. Bachmann says she'll seek grant money, but not earmarks, for the project.
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The original I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River opened in November 1967 and was 1,907 feet in length. The replacement bridge opened in September 2008 and measures 1,216 feet in length.
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