Budget deal includes $1740,000 to widow of millionairs senator (dem. naturally)

[rangerrebew]

Budget deal includes $174K payout to widow of millionaire senator

Posted By Alex Pappas On 6:38 PM 10/16/2013 In Politics | No Comments


Buried inside the budget deal brokered by Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid: a payout to the millionaire widow of the late Democratic senator Frank Lautenberg.

The Daily Caller obtained a copy of the draft legislation agreed to by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate.

The agreement would re-open the government and raise the debt limit.

It also authorizes this expenditure: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000.”

The 89-year-old New Jersey Democrat died this summer.

USA Today reported last month that the proposed one-time payment to Bonnie Englebardt is equivalent to a full year’s salary for a senator. It’s a long tradition of Congress to make such expenditures to widows.



But is this expenditure necessary? The paper reported that not only was Lautenberg’s networth $56.8 million last year, his widow was unaware of the expenditure.

“I just learned about this recently in the news,” Lautenberg said. “I don’t want to comment on it until I make some decisions about how to handle this. I didn’t even know I was getting this money.”

Unlike the taxpayer-funded stipend for his rich widow, Lautenberg’s vast fortune was earned in the private sector. Before entering politics, the late senator spent many years running the payroll management colossus Automatic Data Processing, where he started as a salesman and ended up as CEO.

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Article printed from The Daily Caller: http://dailycaller.com

URL to article: http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/16/budget-deal-includes-174k-payout-to-widow-of-millionaire-senator/

[olde north church]

Like he's the only member worth a million dollars?

[andy58-in-nh]

Nothing is on the level.
Everything is a "deal".
No deal is too small.

[Fishrrman]

Andy wrote:
[[ Nothing is on the level.
Everything is a "deal".
No deal is too small. ]]

Gee, that sure makes this guy's rant
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php?topic=116790.0
.... seem more believable now, don't it?

Wasn't it William F. Buckley who once said he'd prefer to be governed by the first 500 people from the Boston telephone directory, than by the Congress?

Perhaps we should get rid of the 535 members of Congress -- EVERY one of them -- and just draft 535 Americans at random to fill their seats.

Could we do worse?

[famousdayandyear]

Nota Bene:

This story Posted last night.
Comma in the headline misplaced and there is an extra zero.

Nitpiks. But hey.

[aligncare]

I know it's part of senate tradition/rules to give the surviving spouse the money. But when I heard Mark Levin talk about this last night on his show it really bugged me.

[Rapunzel]

I know it's part of senate tradition/rules to give the surviving spouse the money. But when I heard Mark Levin talk about this last night on his show it really bugged me.

Same here.  Given that just about everyone in DC is fabulously wealthy I think this is a rip to the American Taxpayers.

[rangerrebew]

I know it's part of senate tradition/rules to give the surviving spouse the money. But when I heard Mark Levin talk about this last night on his show it really bugged me.

Does she need it as badly as the families of military personnel killed in action?  I suspect she and her husband made many time that while in Washington, and not all of it legally.

[olde north church]

Does she need it as badly as the families of military personnel killed in action?  I suspect she and her husband made many time that while in Washington, and not all of it legally.

She should receive the payment if that is the custom.  If she has the class to donate it to a Veteran's charity would speak volumes.

[Liberal_Spy]

Same here.  Given that just about everyone in DC is fabulously wealthy I think this is a rip to the American Taxpayers.

Yes, I also disagree with everyone is DC being fabulously wealthy.

[GourmetDan]

“I just learned about this recently in the news,” Lautenberg said.

Obama... is that you?

[olde north church]

You know, I was thinking about this while chatting with somebody today and two things crossed my mind. 
1.  We don't tell people they've got too much money.
2.  We don't browbeat people into putting their money where WE think it should go.  Such as giving it to charity.

Just some food for thought.