Two weeks ago House Republicans passed an amendment that would prohibit the Energy Department from blocking approval of offshore-drilling permits. The problem, of course, is that the Energy Department has nothing to do with offshore-drilling which falls under the purview of the Interior Department.
Last week House Republicans apparently passed another amendment, sponsored by Representative Pat Meehan (R-PA), that does nothing. The amendment to the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill bans the use of funds to renovate the bowling alley in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. And in this case, the renovations were already canceled.
But Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Financial Services subcommittee, said Meehan’s amendment was “silly.” He noted that the GSA had already canceled the project, as the federal contractor posting was pulled on July 9. It is unclear what the cost would have been for the renovation for the bowling alley, which has been in use since 1955.
In all seriousness, Meehan stood by his amendment that does nothing.
“I suspect it is only silly if you are the people who don’t care about the important expenditures of the taxpayers of the United States of America,” Meehan said. “This isn’t some trivial issue. This is a question of priorities at a time where every family is struggling.”
Actually, this is quite trivial.