Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. can rest easy tonight: Rep. Betty McCollum’s amendment to end Pentagon sponsorships for NASCAR racing teams was voted down today in the House of Representatives by a 148-241 margin. McCollum had proposed the amendment last week, saying that “[t]axpayer-funded NASCAR race cars are an absurdity at a time when the Republican Tea Party is cutting federal support for homeless veterans, law enforcement officers, and firefighters.” Three racing teams are currently sponsored in part by the Pentagon — Ryan Newman’s Army car, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s National Guard car and AJ Allmendinger’s Air Force car. In…
Browsing: Rep. Betty McCollum
As the deficit spirals to record levels, there’s no shortage of politicians eager to cut the fat from the federal budget. What exactly constitutes “fat” is usually a matter of perception, and a proposal by Rep. Betty McCollum to end the Pentagon’s sponsorships of NASCAR race teams illustrates how even the smallest of proposed cuts can generate a lot of pushback. McCollum’s amendment to the 2011 budget has been met with resistance from NASCAR, where three cars — Ryan Newman’s #39 Army car, Dale Earnhardt’s #88 National Guard car and AJ Allmendinger’s #43 car — are sponsored by the military. …
