Washington D.C.- Congressman Steve King (R-IA) today issued the following statement after an amendment he offered to prevent an additional $1.15 billion from being spent on the fraud-riddled Pigford settlement program was blocked from further consideration by the Rules Committee. King’s amendment to H.R. 4783, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, sought to delete bill language appropriating $1.15 billion for the controversial Pigford settlement program. The House Rules Committee blocked King’s amendment from further consideration on Monday night.
“The unaccountable lame duck Congress is preparing to put Americans on the hook for an additional $1.15 billion in spending on a Pigford II settlement program that is rife with fraud despite the fact that current law caps the amount to be spent on these claims at $100 million,” said King. “To make matters worse, the Democrats who temporarily control the Rules Committee will not even allow my amendment protecting taxpayers from this excessive and fraudulent spending to be presented on the House floor for a vote. By cutting off consideration of my amendment, and by refusing to investigate serious allegations of Pigford fraud prior to voting on legislation allocating an additional $1.15 billion to the program, the lame duck Congress is, in effect, enabling Pigford fraud and this calls for an investigation by the 112th Congress.”
