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During his sentencing in 2016, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle called the Philadelphia-area lawmaker's crimes "astonishing" given that he and his TV anchor wife had a $500,000 annual income that put them at or near the "top 1 percent.". Congressman Chaka Fattah, November 20, 2014. The couple, married in 2001, have one daughter, Chandler Fattah. [But] there are lots of people he hasnt done favors for, too. His wife, Philadelphia TV news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, took a leave after her husband's indictment and then quit in February. Strategistswidely believe he has the most name recognitionin the field (absent the incumbent), as well as the most cashand a handful of top Philadelphia and state politicians standing behind him who are willing to throw in public support and money for ads. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Fattah and several of his co-defendants, who include former campaign and congressional aides, obtained an illegal $1 million loan for him during the 2007 mayors race. They say Fattah and his allies ran not one, but several schemes, that misappropriated funds and helped him further his own political and financial interests. Voters in Chinatown weigh in. Now I know its actually people in the barbershops and the beauty salons. This dominancehas allowed him to spend little on campaigning, save for his 2007 bid for mayor. When you get someone whos invested 10 or 20 years, and theyre in there and bringing resources back, it doesnt really make sense to get rid of them.. I wouldnt trade for a day some very well-meaning, well-intentioned person who might be at the pillar of the citys civic leadership for having working families stay with me.. On June 21, 2016, Fattah was convicted of all charges, including racketeering conspiracy, bribery, bank fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a financial institution, and falsification of records. The Emergency Homeowners Loan Program provides up to 24 months of assistance, through bridge loans, for distressed homeowners and is a scaled-up version of the HEMAP program. Chaka Fattahs income source is mostly from being a successful . In 1984, Fattah completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also wrote the legislation for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III told Fattah in January:You need to take this matter seriously and think long and hard about your priorities., The charges Fattah denies are what hesomehow calls a clarifying moment., Sometimes when youre flying on Air Force One and some corporate CEO is waiting to greet you and introduce you and this and that, but theyre really not talking to you. 1703, which attracted no cosponsors. Co-ops have a broad base and connection to community in the Philadelphia area. Fattah's third wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, is a former Philadelphia television news broadcaster. He had eight siblings and seven of them died from different forms of cancer". Chaka Fattah 1956 . Fattah insists the Justice Department, though led by fellow Democrats, has been out to get him and his family for years. Its main floor features a living room and great room on either side of a central fireplace, a modern kitchen, a TV room with powder room and a laundry. But Fattah says hes also more committed now than he ever has been. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 3759) which proposed to have the U.S. Treasury conduct a one-year feasibility study of a 1 percent transaction fee imposed on transactions made at any financial institution. Fattah is married to his third wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, a former Philadelphia television news broadcaster on WCAU-TV (NBC 10). Fattahmakes sure to note, too, that Sims raised $230,000 to challenge him for Congressthis year and didnt make it to filing day. The congressman's wife, NBC10 news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, was not in the courtroom. AOTC provides up to $2500 tax credit for families to assist them with the cost of college. Their older daughter, Cameron, is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University. These are the people that have been voting for me and praying for me for all these years.. Im going to win this election. It's the former home of Congressman Chaka Fattah and his wife Renee Chenault-Fattah, a. Fattah was once a shoo-in for his seat representing the second congressional district, one of the poorest in the nation and the only district in Pennsylvania with a majority black residency. 1601, and again in 2007 with H.R. He was ordered to report to prison by Jan. 25, 2017. Chaka Fattah is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives. They include former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman, of Palm Springs, Florida, who had sought the ambassadorship. And for a while, it looked as if it was just that. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. But a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in McDonnell v. United States a few days later changed the legal definition of bribery to exclude "pay for access and Fattah appealed his conviction, placing his sentencing on hold. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison and began serving his term at the Federal Correctional Institution, McKean, Pennsylvania on January 25, 2017. He touted the possibility that such a system would bring in so much money it would allow for greatly increased federal spending, saying the "excess funds" would "provide universal health care, support an equitable public school finance system, and fund economic development in urban and rural areas," in addition to extinguishing the national debt and eliminating all other federal taxes. Some of the earliest charges stem from Fattahs failed bid for Philadelphia mayor in 2007, when his early lead was dwindling just weeks before the primary and he was running low on cash. We have estimated One man standing outside a barbershopon Lancaster Avenue put it this way: We keep supporting these people, keep electing them, but they always end up doing dumb shit.Many are concerned Fattah is just another in a long line of political figures exposed of beinginvolved in shady dealings. Chenault-Fattah did let me know, though, that her marriage remains intact. First published on December 12, 2016 / 12:36 PM. The longtime northwest Philadelphia state politician has friends in both Philadelphia and state politics, including Tasco, who has a reputation for being able to whip up a significant amount of votes in her 50th ward. "Almost every chronic illness hits us harder," she said, referring to African Americans. Fattah was convicted in June on a number of federal corruption charges, including bribery, racketeering, money laundering, bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, and filing false statements. Following this conference, his mother decided to change his name to Chaka Fattah, to acknowledge their African ethnicity. Committed to funding neuroscience research. Fattah used the money to pay personal expenses, including his taxes. Fattah spent two decades in Congress before losing the primary this year. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Though Fattah was reportedlyunder investigation by the Department of Justice for eight years, it took charges on racketeering and bribery for challengers to come forward. On November 5, 1991, City Councilman Lucien Edward Blackwell won the election with a plurality of 39% of the vote defeating Fattah (28%), John F. White (28%), and Nadine Smith-Bulford (5%). The loan was paid back using federal grant money intended for nonprofit organizations affiliated with Fattah. Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and stay in the know, Fattahwasnt known as the type of person who would frequentlyhelp other politicos around town raise money. The jury in his case found the congressman took an illegal $1 million loan to prop up a failed 2007 run for Philadelphia mayor. He publicly supported the Bring Our Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Act a bill that called for bringing the troops home within six months and transitioning the Iraqis to self-government. He can point to his early and loud supportof President Barack Obama. Chaka Fattah's income source is mostly from being a successful . He's doing well. I got to ask former WCAU-TV anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah anything I wanted about Alzheimer's disease. The congressman has never won less than 85 percent of the vote in the general, and in 2000 he defeateda Libertarian by garnering an unheard-of 98 percent of the vote. In 2005, Fattah opposed the War in Iraq and supported Congressman John Murtha's call for troop withdrawal. But their real-life fairy tale turned into a nightmare in 2015 after the feds indicted and later convicted Chaka Fattah of racketeering, bribery, money laundering, and fraud. Former state Rep. Dwight Evans, a fellow Democrat, now holds his seat. The Philadelphia Democrat, who was first elected to . You abused your trust, time and time again.. Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., was released from a federal lockup near Scranton last month to serve the rest of his sentence in either a halfway house or under house arrest in. Matt Rourke/AP A federal jury has sentenced former Rep. Chaka. ", When I asked how he's faring in federal prison, she said, "Chaka's doing great. But she fought to keep the figure private during her husband's mayoral run in 2007, and his federal financial disclosure reports do not specify how much she earns. Chenault-Fattah, who is also a lawyer, spent 25 years with WCAU-TV before she resigned after the indictment named her a participant in the bribery scheme. "I love my husband. The sale price should just about cover the amount Chaka swiped from the government and nonprofit organizations to repay the illegal $1 million campaign loan that landed him in prison. Fattah then repaid it with funds that included NASA grant money steered through an education nonprofit run by former staffers. Now all of a sudden he wants to run for mayor and he shows up dispensing checks. He doesnt have any relationships, she told The Inquirer at the time. In return, Fattah reportedly pushed for an ambassadorial position for Vederman or for appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission, including hand-delivering a letter to President Barack Obama on the issue. Fattah served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 192nd district from 1983 to 1988, and as a State Senator for the 7th district from 1988 to 1994. Sometimes when youre flying on Air Force One and some corporate CEO is waiting to greet you and introduce you and this and that, but theyre really not talking to you. Committed to fair housing. Fattah has introduced a few bills targeting the equity of resource allocation within and between school districts. Fattah represented the 2nd district in Pennsylvania, an overwhelmingly Democratic district, in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2016. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. So the feds say hesecured a $1 million loan from then-Sallie Mae CEO Al Lord a big no-no in campaign finance and then paid back $600,000 of itusing charitable and federal funds through his nonprofit the Educational Advancement Alliance. How are they doing? But behind the confidence, the political experience and the public relations in those 22 articlesare29 federal counts of corruption the reason why Fattah is in the thick of his most contested congressional race since he first won the seat in 1994. NBC10's Deanna Durante explains how. He reported for prison at Federal Correctional Institution, McKean near Lewis Run, Pennsylvania on January 25, 2017. Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes not that were counting. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Fattah, who earned $174,000 as a congressman, is married to longtime Philadelphia news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. Housed within the White House and chartered on June 20, 2012, the IWGN convenes representatives across the Federal government to make recommendations about the future of neuroscience research. Fattah says he can get by largely on the fact that his name has been on the ballot for two decades. He defeated the incumbent 58%-42%. But he was charged in 2015, and then convicted on all counts the following year. Sources. In 2005, Fattah introduced the bill again with H.R. In 1987, Fattah founded the Graduate Opportunity Initiative Conference, an annual three-day informational and scholarship conference which aims to significantly increase the enrollment of under-represented graduate students studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM fields). Both bills died without any action being taken. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. NEW JERSEY FEDERAL JUDGES SON KILLED, HUSBAND SHOT AT HOME. A jury this year found that Fattah took an illegal $1 million loan from a wealthy friend to prop up his failed 2007 campaign for Philadelphia mayor. Sure, Fattahis still a member of several subcommittees that handle appropriations. Market data provided by Factset. Fattah, a Democrat formerly representing Pennsylvanias second congressional district, was found guilty in June 2016. Ive helped tens of millions of people, Fattah said. Evans came in fifth of five.) Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson. Or rather, Chaka and Renee. After charges were filed against Fattah last summer, not everyone in West Philadelphia, an area that was once on lock for the former congressmans voters base, was on Fattahs side and praying for his re-election. The Fattahs used the cash to help buy a $425,000 vacation house in the Poconos, the indictment says, but Chenault-Fattah kept the Porsche - and even renewed its registration and took it to an auto shop months after signing the title over to the lobbyist, Herbert Vederman. Those in high places will certainly know what happens in this courtroom today, said U.S. District Judge Harvery Bartle, III, as he sentenced Fattah, according to WPVI, a Philadelphia TV station. Youre asking people to write a check in a situation where the press might say they wrote a check or question them writing a check.. Among the charges: Mail fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy, bribery and racketeering, which is essentially using a legit organization for illegal purposes. PHILADELPHIA A federal judge has sentenced Former Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah to 10 years behind bars on charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering. See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010#District 2. All the while he did it with his own little West Philadelphia political machine, with the support ofpeople like Hughes and Councilwoman Cindy Bass. Fattah and his wife, Renee Chenault Fattah, also allegedly used bribery proceeds to "close on a vacation home" in the Poconos by falsely disguising an . Fattah told Bartle that he had helped tens of millions of people during his time in office, despite the crimes hed been convicted of committing. Born in Philadelphia on November 21, 1956, Chaka Fattah grew up with political ideas and even developed his own political propaganda for other candidates at the age of 14. The cottage has a high-ceilinged living room with fireplace and a sleeping loft. He is from . ET. Ironically, Fattah says that one day he hopes his legacy in Philadelphia is not about his success at the polls or the elections hes won or even about his prominence in the Washington Democratic establishment, but rather, he says, about what hes done for his constituents and for the country. 20072023 Blackpast.org. And Fattahs Twitter account shows that he launched a business while still serving his sentence, with his bio saying hes President/CEO of Fattah Neuroscience Global Advisors - Catalysts in Uplifting Brain Research. For these additional counts, Fattah was again sentenced to 10 years of incarceration on July 12, 2019. Each touts something Fattah did while in the United States Congress representing Philadelphia. Congressman William Gray decided to resign. Congressional pensions are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The conference brought together national leaders in cooperative development to share best practices to create powerful change for their organizations. We're sorry what happened to your family, but isn't it great that you went on to use your voice to do something which makes an impact around this issue of Alzheimer's.' Once he lost that race and faced a large debt, Fattah and his inner circle illegally used federal and charitable funds to help repay the loan. Phillys mayoral candidates are tiptoeing onto TikTok. Two older structures with a link to that past also sit on these grounds: a carriage house thought to date to the 1800s and a one-room cottage with sleeping loft believed to be the oldest structure on the property. Started in 1983 by Pennsylvanias Act 91 of 1983, it was only one of its kind until 2010 when Fattah added language to the Dodd Frank bill to provide similar assistance, to homeowners nationwide. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "[That] has nothing to do with the fact that Ive been found on the wrong side of these questions by a jury.. And his family has fallen with him. Fattah was the lead Democrat responsible for funding some of the largest science agencies in the federal system (NASA, NSF, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Committed to one day maybe six days after the primary, the scheduled start date of his trial fighting those criminal charges. Fattah won his first election in 1982 by 58 votes , defeating a party-favored incumbent for the 192nd house seat in the Pennsylvania . Legal Statement. The Congressman has an older son, Chaka Fattah, Jr., also a politician, who was convicted of felony bank and tax fraud in February 2016. She was never charged and has denied wrongdoing. Its alleged that he misappropriated more funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns in order to pay off his sonsstudent loan debt by dispensing checks to a political consulting firm which then lessened his sons college debt burden. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. He even lobbied President Barack Obama on the friends behalf, to no avail. Thats an area where Evans whos successfully stumped for other candidates across the state has him beat. This is a story about my funding of the bridge over the Schuylkill, but its really symbolic of a host of efforts across the district. Despite the successes, the connections, the seniority and the support, hes a careerpolitician whos nearly out of campaign funds and who couldnt pay the lawyers defending him on charges of using public money and charity dollars to further his political career and line the pockets of hisassociates. Anecdotally, from what Ive seen, I wouldnt count him as the most popular of Philadelphia politicians., Retired Councilwoman Marian Tasco didnt mince words in 2006 when Fattah was in the process of running for mayor. It is unclear but the Federal Bureau of Prisons database shows he is in a residential reentry center in Philadelphia. Fattah eventually came in fourth in the Democratic primary, close behind fellow Congressman Bob Brady but well behind former city councilman Michael Nutter, who went on to win the fall general election handily. For example, Fattah used $23,000 in nonprofit funds to repay his sons college loans and took an $18,000 bribe to try to help a friend become an ambassador. A handful of names circulated, from District Attorney Seth Williams to now former Mayor Michael Nutter. Market data provided by Factset. Some are fromhis own office. After Fattah rattles off his accomplishments, he draws comparisons to others he says were unfairly targeted by law enforcement. Social Activism Brings a Name Change. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In the late 1990s she broadcast segments on her own pregnancy, which was achieved through anonymous artificial insemination. The latest property being unloaded in the Disgraced Pol Hit Parade went on the market last Tuesday. The reason we must take an educated guess? If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. The latest property being unloaded in the Disgraced Pol Hit Parade went on the market last Tuesday. In 1991, State Senator Fattah decided to run for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district in the special election that was held after Democratic U.S. In 1994, Fattah decided to challenge Blackwell in the Democratic primary. The two-story carriage house can serve as a separate residence for an in-law, aupair or guests. Muroff, the past president of CeaseFire PAwhos taken up gun violence prevention as one of his primary causes, said he wouldnt diminish the importance of a district being represented ona powerful committee with control over spending, but noted that hes the only challenger with experience as a senior level legislative staff member in the federal government. President Obama has called for making the tax credit permanent. Fattahwasnt known as the type of person who would frequentlyhelp other politicos around town raise money. So it was interesting to hear Chenault-Fattah spout facts and figures about Alzheimer's, which impacts about 5.7 million Americans. His wife, former NBC 10 anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, was labeled as "Person E" in his indictment; she is accused of being a participant in falsely reporting the sale of her Porsche to a . In 2004, Fattah introduced a bill titled the "Transform America Transaction Fee," (H.R. Fattah and the other co-conspirators submitted false billing statements to his mayoral campaign in order to keep the loan secret. Suddenly, the popular broadcaster was a stay-at-home mom with a whole lot of time on her hands and a non-compete clause that sidelined her for a least a year. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 64 years old? This was her first interview since her husband's conviction, so I asked her about that not that I could get her to say much about Chaka, his legal case or the infamous 1989 Porsche that prosecutors alleged was a cover for a bribe from a lobbyist. The estimated pension is at least $55,000 per year. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle called the Philadelphia Democrats crimes astonishing given that he and his wife had an annual income that put them at or near the top 1 percent.. Neither Fattahs attorney,Sam Silver, northe prison bureau would comment to local media on why Fattah was released early from lockup, but his release appears to have been the call of the Bureau of Prisons. Fattah, who has so far largely escaped being attacked by challengers with regard to the litany of criminal charges and accusations against him, is harnessing the one thing that he has that Evans doesnt: 22 years in congress and a seat on the House Committee on Appropriations. He announced his immediate resignation from Congress two days later, on June 23. Outside of legislative work Fattah has created a few local education initiatives for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania families as a state legislator and in cooperation with state and municipal governments, including the CORE scholars program and the annual Grad Conference. Fattah received an F rating from the National Rifle Association and an A+ rating from the Coalition on Gun Violence and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for his positions on gun control. Credit NBC10. After emerging as a mayoral candidate, Fattah came under fire from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police for his repeated calls to grant a new trial to Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of murdering police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981; he also was criticized for possibly unethical campaign spending, based on new campaign finance rules adopted by the city of Philadelphia. After being sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 23-count conviction for racketeering, fraud and other corruption charges, disgraced former Congressman Chaka Fattah was released from prison last July after about one year. Since 2011, the Congressman was able to negotiate an increase of $30M to investment in DOJ programs that fund groups including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. After 30 years of working first as a Wall Street lawyer and later a TV broadcaster, she had to figure out what her third act would be. first as a Wall Street lawyer and later a TV broadcaster, Indiegogo crowd-funding website for a new documentary, California residents do not sell my data request. Evans has already been endorsed by both Gov. Who Is Chaka Fattah's Wife? "Asking for $18,000 which is a steal.". He says hes just fine garnering the support of the full Democratic city committee and the endorsement of unions likethe Service Employees International Union and AFSCME district council 33. Fattahs wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, was implicated in the indictment against the congressman and nolonger sits at the anchor deskat NBC 10 where she worked for nearly 25years. Fattah is only 64 years old, so his estimated lifetime pension is $1 million. The FBI further alleged that Fattah accepted an $18,000 bribe from a man seeking an ambassadorship. So heres whatprosecutors say happened: Fattah and four of his close associates were indicted by federal prosecutors with the Department of Justice in July after they poked around in the congressmans finances for the better part of eight years. On Monday, U.S. District Judge sentenced Fattah to 10 years in prison. ( Photo via Facebook ), California residents do not sell my data request. Fattah supporters have raised questions about whether he received a fair trial, noting that one of the jurors was dismissed from the case. Meanwhile, Evans had $303,000 on hand and Muroff had $208,000. In 2009, Fattah introduced a fourth bill to require having a study conducted, H.R. Evans is the challenger who could do the most damage to Fattahs campaign for re-election. The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity, U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia Zane Memeger said when charges were filed. The Court of Appeals remanded for a new trial as to certain bribery and money laundering counts, concluding that the jury had not been properly instructed regarding official acts in a bribery context. Do you find this information helpful? Fattah has long been attempting to have his sentence one of the longest ever imposed for a member of Congress reduced. Bartle noted that Fattah and his wife, a TV news anchor, made more than $500,000 in combined income, placing them in the top 1 percent of Americans. Meanwhile, Fattah has taken heat from the judge in the case for publicly claiming hes more focused on winning re-election than he is in defending himself. Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr., who never finished college, was convicted of using fraudulently obtained business loans to fund his jet-set lifestyle. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. , money, salary, income, and assets. What hewilladmit: Raising cash for re-election while under the cloud of federal indictmenthas been a struggle. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) He was convicted on 23 counts of racketeering, fraud, and other corruption charges on June 21, 2016, and resigned two days later. "This is an extraordinarily difficult day for me and my family. ", NBC 10 News Anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. Fattah has said he will appeal his conviction and sentence. She has anchored each of the network's prime-time newscasts, including the 11 p.m. news, which she hosted with Larry Mendte from 1997 to 2003. All they have to do is believe in the system.. HEMAP is a loan program designed to protect Pennsylvanians who, through no fault of their own, are financially unable to make their mortgage payments and are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of the conviction. Theyre kind of dealing with the position, Fattah said. Former Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah (Pa.) was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by a federal judge in Philadelphia. Fattah also hired Vederman's girlfriend to his staff as the transactions were taking place, according to the indictment. From 1995 to 2016, Fattah served as the U.S. Representative from Pennsylvanias 2nd Congressional District. His father said hes spoken to his son, who is looking forward to appealing his own federal case. Twenty-twoarticles and press releases are strewn across a dark wood table in the board room of Congressman Chaka Fattahs West Philly office. State Senator with National Vision. Hes done lots of favors for lots of people, Dilworth said. For someone so interested in advancing education for the disadvantaged, you had the temerity to steal from the Educational Advancement Alliance, a nonprofit supported by government funds, Bartle said. This legislation will provide means to catalyze cooperative development, provide tools to entrepreneurs to bring cooperative to their communities, partner with financial institutions to provide grants a loans to developing businesses, offer technical training and professional development. They have two school-age children. A year earlier in 2015, Fattah was indicted on charges of bribery, money laundering, and bank and mail fraud, among other charges, making him vulnerable in the primary. Chenault-Fattah, 57, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Twenty-twoarticles and press releases are strewn across a dark wood table in the board room of Congressman Chaka Fattahs West Philly office. "Whether it's diabetes, whether it's heart disease, strokes across the board.". According to local lore, this cottage once served as a way station for hunters. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Innocent until proven guilty has, predictably, become the congressmans mantra. Hes a member of the Democratic political establishment in both Philadelphia and Washington, and predicts that if things go his way, hes next in line to take over as the Democratic chairman of the Committee on Appropriations in the House.