Rep. Allen West Accepts Responsibility For Lack Of 'Due Diligence' On Pigford Funding Vote

Want to hear the sound of people making a difference on the Pigford story?

I mentioned in a previous post that Allen West had voted no on Rep. Steve King’s amendment to stop Pigford funding. This vote struck me as strange because of Rep. West’s reputation as an opponent of wasteful spending.

Talk show host David Webb asked West about his vote today and Rep. West seems to feel that he made an error in his vote. I watched the ‘lightning round’ of forty (40!) or so amendments live on C-SPAN and I can see where an honest error is certainly possible. I accept his explanation and appreciate his straightforward answer.

But listen to what Rep. West as soon as Webb asks him about Pigford – he says he’s answered the question about his Pigford many times. And THAT is the sound of the tide turning. Pigford is clearly getting onto people’s radar, thanks to you. If you haven’t done so, please sign the Pigford Petition.

And blogger The Right Scoop has another example of West answering a Pigford question.

Here’s Rep. West explanation from his newsletter:

FY 2012 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations – On Thursday, June 16, the House approved H.R. 2112 by a vote of 217-203, I voted YES. The bill would provide a total of $17.25 billion in non-emergency, discretionary budget authority in FY 2012 for government programs funded through the Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations Act. The bill would represent a decrease of $2.67 billion or 13 percent below the FY 2011 funding level and a reduction of $5.03 billion or 22 percent below the President’s request. H.R. 2112 meets and surpasses House Republican’s pledge by bringing discretionary budget authority for Agriculture and related agencies down to nearly FY 2006 spending levels.

There were some 40 amendments to this piece of legislation and there are those who questioned my NO vote on Rep. Steve King’s amendment on Pigford. I accept full responsibility for not doing a complete due diligence and personal research on this amendment. I am mortal and a fallible human being who seeks to do his best daily, and improve as such.”