Richard Simon and Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times
- The Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a job-training facility in one of Los Angeles’ poorest neighborhoods, is threatened with receiving no federal money at a time of high unemployment — simply because of its name.
The center has become a victim of a move on Capitol Hill to block funding for projects that bear the monikers of sitting lawmakers.
“It doesn’t seem fair that rich private entities can get funded and this poor school cannot,” said Rep. Waters (D-Los Angeles), who had a heated confrontation with Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.) on the House floor last week over his refusal to grant her $1-million request.
The decision to deny funding for what critics call “monuments to me” comes as the number of projects named after their congressional benefactors has grown in recent years.
