The massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill being shoved through Congress just before Republicans retake control of the House on January 3 is predictably loaded with pork-barrel pet projects. The Washington Free Beacon has analyzed the almost 5,000 pages of the bill and reported Thursday on an astonishing earmark requested by Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA).
The Senate approved the omnibus bill on Thursday and forwarded it to the House, where it was expected to pass without difficulty on Friday. House Republicans are expected to protest the bill’s passage to no avail. It will then go to Joe Biden for his signature.
Some Senate Republicans attempted a last-minute maneuver this week to block the bill through several proposed amendments. While most of the GOP members in the Senate voted against the final bill, 18 Republicans voted in favor. That gave Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) more than enough support to move the Democrat-controlled bill forward.
NEW: Rep. Susan Wild (D., Pa.) is poised to secure $1 million in taxpayer funding for a former client that was implicated in a child rape case.
Via @ChuckRossDC https://t.co/ELcKm4Sjoi
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) December 22, 2022
Of the 7,200 earmarks in the bill, totaling more than $15 billion for pork projects, the Wild allocation stands out. The Pennsylvania Democrat has secured $1 million to support the operation of a children’s mental health asylum she defended in a sexual assault case.
Wild requested taxpayer funds for KidsPeace, a nonprofit organization she represented in a lawsuit dating back to 2005. The case was brought on behalf of a former minor patient of the facility who was anally raped by a staffer.
Wild has argued that KidsPeace should not have to absorb the cost of the settlement payout to the former patient before receiving free taxpayer money. She argues that the rape event was simply a “medical incident” that should be covered by the organization’s medical malpractice insurance coverage.
The staffer who raped the child at KidsPeace had been charged previously concerning the suffocation death of another patient, who was 12 years old when they died. Wild said the agency did not have a “crystal ball” to foretell the rape – which she described as just a “malfeasance” – committed by the counselor.
Her connections to KidsPeace were addressed during her reelection campaign this year. Wild narrowly won last month’s election over Republican Lisa Scheller, 50.8% to 49.2%. One GOP television ad described her representation of the facility, stating: “Wild is pushing for a million dollars in taxpayer money for the hospital, the same hospital that paid her.”
Wild responded to the ad during the campaign in a Zoom call, telling the GOP to “shut up.”
Wild is currently the chair of the House Ethics Committee.
