U.S. Sen. John McCain made fun of North Carolina's beaver management.
But some state workers say they think the Arizona Republican's derisive critique of a budget earmark was off-base.
As part of a series of posts on Twitter about earmarks, McCain asked "How does one manage a beaver?" The workers say they do it by trapping the critters, destroying their dams and preventing nearly $5 million in potential flood damage.
"Maybe you should ask him how much he knows about this and why he picked it out for ridicule," said U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat. "We know why he chose this — because it sounds funny."
The omnibus spending bill for the current fiscal year contains nearly $8 billion in directed spending, called earmarks. Among them is $208,000 for North Carolina's Beaver Management Assistance Program.
Price and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Republican, requested it last year. (N&O)
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