FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 2 ¸ 2008

Roy Carter, Democratic nominee for the 5th district U-S House seat, today urged the House to strip the pork out of the financial rescue package passed last night in the Senate. "The nation is facing perhaps its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression," said Carter. "Adding pork to the bill at such a critical time is wasteful and downright irresponsible. It’s one more example of just how out of touch Congress is."

Among the tax earmarks Carter cited in the Senate bill:

-Virgin Island and Puerto Rican rum ($192 million)

-Manufacturers of wooden arrows for children ($200,000)

-American Samoan economic development ($33 million)

"This bill needs to go on a diet before it heads to the President’s desk," said Carter. He added the Senate did make a few positive changes to the bill, such as raising the FDIC limit on bank deposits to $250,000 from $100,000. U-S Senator Richard Burr, who represented the 5th district from 1994 to 2004, voted for the bill.

"We need a swift, responsible, bipartisan action," said Carter. "Credit is the oil that makes our economic engine work. I hope the House will act quickly to pull out the pork and get this thing done."

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