DOD’s NASCAR spending hits wall

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Politico:

NASCAR suffered a rare loss in Congress Thursday — and worst yet, it came at the hands of a Republican from Georgia.

Rep. Jack Kingston tipped the scales in the House Appropriations Committee, putting some Southern moxie behind what had been a losing cause until now: Rep. Betty McCollum’s campaign to end the Pentagon’s practice of spending tens of millions every year on costly motor sport and fishing sponsorships to promote recruitment.

NASCAR commands the lion’s share of these expenditures, estimated at $80 million in 2012 altogether. And new estimates from the National Guard show that more than $135 million has been spent over the past five years just for the Guard’s sponsorship and branding efforts through Hendricks Motorsports in North Carolina and the racing team of star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Just a year ago, McCollum (D-Minn.) lost 281-148 on the House floor, with only 30 Republicans backing her. But one of them was Kingston, who came back this spring as her lead sponsor and prevailed Thursday on a voice vote in the Republican-controlled committee.

“The old question always in politics is, ‘If not here, where, if not now, when, if not us, who?’” Kingston told his colleagues. “I am a conservative Republican. I’m very pro-military, but at some point, we have to get in the habit of cutting programs that are less efficient, less effective. … Would you still spend this money if it was you?”

“They can still go to events. They can still put up banners. They can be all over the high school sporting events,” he said of the recruitment campaigns. “But $20 million for one NASCAR race (team)? Have we lost our minds?”

“I’d say this is a great place to send a signal.”

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Hmm. I have the feeling this won't go down well in some circles...