Last week, Dan Christensen of the Miami Herald reported that Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R - FL) secured a $2 million defense contract for a Miami company via an earmark inserted into the fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. (The earmark is not specifically mentioned in the bill--here is Diaz-Balart's letter requesting the earmark for the company.)
The company, Phoenix Worldwide Industries (PWI), will use the money to develop surveillance equipment for the U.S. Army. Company president J. Al Esquivel Shuler told the Herald that Diaz-Balart sought the earmark at his request.
POGO opposes the practice of no-bid earmarks and contracts. If contracts awarded by the executive agencies are subject to competitive bidding, why should Members of Congress be allowed to steer contracts to favored companies through non-competitive earmarks? A few weeks ago, Christensen reported that Diaz-Balart has secured millions of dollars in contracts through earmarks for other Miami-area companies, some of which have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his political campaign and that of his younger brother and congressional colleague, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R - FL).
-- Neil Gordon
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