Rep. Earl "Buddy" Carter (R-GA) went on an epic quest to waste government resources on Tuesday and should be expelled from Congress because of his crippling unseriousness.
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House Republicans these days are ostensibly all about eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government. However, if they were really serious about this endeavor, they should immediately expel Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) from Congress.
Before we get to the reason why, let’s look at what “Buddy” costs the American people. First of all, he is drawing a $174,000 annual salary… courtesy of US taxpayers. Sadly, that’s not all.
There is also an allowance of nearly $2 million for staff, travel, and office expenses for which taxpayers are also footing the bill.
And, of course, he consumes many other government resources, such as electricity or the salaries of the Capitol Police officers he dishonored by voting against the certification of Joe Biden as president on January 6.
In addition, various lobbyists and interest groups (and also some regular people) shelled out another $2.5 million to get him reelected (in a noncompetitive seat), but we won’t count that since it’s not a taxpayer expense. Still, it comes out to more than $10 for every vote he received, so we thought it’s worth mentioning.
Most importantly, “Buddy” occupies a seat in the House of Representatives, where he is one of just 435 voting members who get to make decisions that affect all Americans on a daily basis.
Being entrusted with that responsibility is an opportunity that should not be wasted.
And he is not just any member. “Buddy” sits on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee and chairs its Health subcommittee, which oversees vital programs like Medicare and Medicaid and, obviously, also requires taxpayer funds to operate.
In theory, that means that he has some important stuff to do when he is sitting in his taxpayer-funded office on his taxpayer-funded chair at his taxpayer-funded desk while earning $500 every day.
Unfortunately, the reality looks a bit differently… well, not the fact that the American people spend more than $2 million annually on “Buddy.” That part is sadly true.
So, what does “Buddy” do to earn this money?
Well, on Tuesday, he introduced H.R. 1161, the most asinine piece of legislation in the history of Congress. It is a bill so ridiculous that he should immediately be booted from the House and replaced with another Republican who would (hopefully) be less of a drain on American taxpayers.
To call H.R. 1161 “legislation” is actually quite generous. This isn’t a bill, it is attention-seeking garbage introduced by a man who is using his congressional office to endear himself to Trump-loving voters as he contemplates a run for statewide office next year.
It is also an insult to every member of Congress, regardless of their ideology, who is trying to do their job.
You are probably asking yourself what makes H.R. 1161 such an egregious waste of government resources, so we won’t keep you waiting.
H.R. 1161 is the “Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025” and authorizes President Trump to “enter into negotiations to acquire Greenland and to rename Greenland as ‘Red, White, and Blueland.’”
And “Buddy” doesn’t just want the US to purchase Greenland, which is an equally ridiculous plan Trump has floated; he apparently thinks it should be acquired by any means necessary.
“America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland,” “Buddy” stated in a taxpayer-funded press release. “President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority, and we will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation to ever exist when our Negotiator-in-Chief inks this monumental deal.”
And, of course, all maps and other government records would have to be updated following this epic purchase, which isn’t just insane but another waste of resources.
We never condone violence, but in this case, it is very difficult to refrain from suggesting that every member of Congress should be given the opportunity to roll up 100 copies of this bill, line up in the House of Representatives, slap “Buddy” in the face with it, and then vote to expel him.
Because, as he has shown today, he is a waste of space in Congress.
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.