Ryan’s committee assignments continue to benefit this region

The $1.15 million that U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan is working to secure for several projects in the Mahoning Valley is just the latest in the federal largess the four-term lawmaker has brought back to the 17th Congressional District.

To be sure, all members of Congress spend an inordinate amount time on Capitol Hill trying to funnel money from Washington to their districts or states. But few can replicate what Ryan has done in the period he has been in Congress.

His record of bringing home the bacon speaks to his deep understanding of how things work. It’s mostly about the committee process, and Ryan, who is seeking a fifth term this year and faces marginal opposition in the November general election, has positioned himself well.

In 2006, he was chosen by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to join the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is responsible for nominating Democratic members to serve on House committees and advising the speaker on policy.

That same year, the committee appointed Ryan to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations. He currently serves on subcommittees on Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Related Agencies (“Labor-HHS”), and Financial Services. Prior to serving on the Appropriations Committee, Ryan had a seat on the House Armed Services, Education and the Workforce, and Veterans’ Affairs committees.

Membership on key panels is especially important these days as Congress and the White House deal with the nation’s economic collapse and the ballooning federal deficit and debt. The reaction from the citizenry to the economic crisis has been varied, but the Tea Party movement and its demand that government be returned to the people has struck a responsive chord.

Transparency

As a result, members of Congress have become sensitive to charges of wasteful spending and have adopted rules that provide greater transparency with regard to the expenditure of tax dollars.

Thus, the privileges that come with major committee memberships cannot be underestimated.

Last week’s announcement by Ryan that the Youngstown Business Incubator stands to receive $700,000 to help fund the renovation of an 8,000-square-foot Boardman Street building to connect to the original incubator building on Federal Street is especially noteworthy.

The business incubator has become a showpiece of the Valley’s new economy and has attracted national and global attention. It’s easy to justify the congressman’s effort to secure federal grants for expansion of the campus so emerging companies will remain in downtown Youngstown rather than relocate to other cities or even other states.

Other projects that will be funded with the $1.15 million share of the 2011 Transportation Appropriations Bill Congress is expected to pass are the enhancement of criminal information systems in the sheriff’s departments in Mahoning and Trumbull counties and several youth programs.