Landrieu: Jindal ‘fumbled’ on grants
WASHINGTON -- Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, of Louisiana, teed off on the Jindal administration Thursday for rejecting an $80 million grant to provide high speed Internet to rural areas and deciding not to apply for $60 million in federal money for early childhood education.
"You know it's two fumbled balls and you can't keep fumbling and expect to win the game," Landrieu said. "I hope (they) get a new game plan going forward because that's a lot of money to leave on the table."
On Tuesday, Landrieu appealed to the U.S. Department of Commerce to reconsider granting the $80 million for the Internet connection to rural areas that were part of the federal stimulus funds.
The Commerce Department rejected the request. The department withdrew the grant in October after questioning whether the state could complete its plan before the 2013 deadline. The department also questioned whether the Jindal administration met the goals of the program.
The money would have created 900 miles of cable over 21 parishes. In rejecting Landrieu's appeal, the Commerce Department said the Louisiana project promised great benefits to the unserved and underserved portions of the state.
The state, however, determined it was unable to implement the original project plan, fell behind schedule and failed to make technical and financial details, the department said.
Landrieu expressed frustration over the state position that the grant would have resulted in the "heavy handed" federal government taking over private businesses.
"It's hogwash," Landrieu said. "We weren't trying to create a government broadband system, it's granting money for private companies to lay the cable."
Landrieu criticized Jindal, a Republican, for not meeting the requirements of the broadband grant.
"What he could've done, he should've done," Landrieu said. "Maybe he was too distracted, too busy, not focused enough so we lost the grant."
Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater, who once worked for Landrieu, called her comments "very disappointing."
Rainwater stood by the state contention that though laying the cable would've resulted in the hiring of private companies, state intervention would be required after and would have competed head to head with private providers, he said.
"We were going to create a state-run broadband company," Rainwater said. "We might as well start building Ford trucks."
"I had private providers tell me they would have to lay off employees," Rainwater added.
Landrieu also lamented that the state recently chose not to apply for a $60 million federal grant to aid early childhood education. The money is essentially a third round of Race to the Top dollars in which states compete for federal aid.
The money is aimed at improving the quality of early learning and closing the achievement gap for children with high needs because of such factors as poverty.
The administration passed on applying for the money, contending that it has strings attached that would force more federal control over the education system. Landrieu credited Jindal and the state Legislature for making bipartisan gains in the area of early childhood education.
"The $60 million could've been used to strengthen the state's efforts and the rhetoric that comes out of the Governor's Office on both of these, the reason they couldn't do it was because of the heavy hand of the federal government," Landrieu said. "All the federal government is doing is offering them money with virtually no strings attached except for basic accountability."
The state studied the grant and decided that it would not have expanded early childhood education but would have been targeted to programs, which the state has already been addressing, Rainwater said.
Receiving the grant would've slowed the state progress, Rainwater said.
"It's the opposite of what we need in Louisiana," Rainwater said. "We want less red tape."
With the federal government likely to slash many programs due to the deficit, grant money to the states will dwindle, Landrieu said.
"We work hard up here to get federal money to the states," said Landrieu, dean of the state's congressional delegation. "The state is going to feel this year and next year and every year to come, cutbacks in federal funding because the federal government is moving in a way to get our fiscal house in order."
The current federal grant money is budgeted and will be spent, Landrieu said.
"It went somewhere else," Landrieu said. "It's going to go to another state to help with broadband and another state is going to get the money for early childhood education."