He has sent a letter to President Obama making that request.
Congressman Roscoe Bartlett is requesting federal reimbursement for Frederick County for costs incurred by the G8 Summit. The 6th District Republican has sent a letter to President Obama, asking that the local government be repaid for providing security and other needs during these high-level talks.
In his missive, he noted that US Secret Service originally allocated $40-million for the G8 and the NATO Conference when they were originally planned for Chicago. But now the G8 talks are taking place at Camp David in the Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont, and local law enforcement and other agencies are spending money providing security and other needs. Unlike the Chicago venue, the Secret Service says the Summit at Camp David are not a "Special Security Event." "Without a Special Security Event designation," Bartlett's letter says,"none of this $40-million may be used to reimburse the considerable expense incurred in Maryland."
"We're closing our schools. We're closing our roads. We're putting extra deputies and extra State Police out. Certainly, costs are increased. And if they're going reimburse for those costs in Chicago, they out to do it here. Fair is fair," he says.
Both Frederick Police Chief Kim Dine and Sheriff Chuck Jenkins say they don't have an exact costs for G8 preparations, but they have been keeping tallies of their expenses in hopes of submitting them to the federal government for reimbursement.
The G8 Summit is scheduled for May 18th and 19th at Camp David near Thurmont. World leaders are expected to discuss the Europe's economic woes and the winding down of the war in Afghanistan.
In his request for reimbursement, Bartlett points out that this is not a Frederick County event. "This is a federal event. All of the taxpayers should pay for this. Not just the taxpayers in Frederick County, Maryland," he says.
Bartlett and Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin are making requests to the president for reimbursement to Frederick County for G8 costs. So how does he think will the president respond, Bartlett was asked. "I think he understands fairness. They were going to spend it in Chicago. The event is here now, and we need to pay for it here."
In a related story, anti-drone protesters will be gathering outside of Congressman Bartlett's Frederick office on Thursday afternoon. "I wish I could be there. But unfortunately, we'll be debating the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act, on the {House} floor," he says. But he says he would like to discuss the use of unmanned drones with these citizens. "I think there needs to be a discussion across America on the use of these drones. And if that's what they want, I support them that there needs to be a discussion."
Organizers of the group "Know Drones" will hold their protest at 4:00 PM outside of Bartlett's office. They will also visit Democratic Congressional Candidate John Delaney's Frederick campaign office on North Market Street at 6:00 PM.
Opponents of drones say they are being used for surveillance of the American public, turning the entire planet into a battlefield.
