we saw that...

Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu sponsored an unusual $2 million earmark to provide an experimental reading program to District of Columbia schools -- just days after receiving $30,000 in campaign contributions from the company that runs the program and its employees.

The Washington Post reports Landrieu's support of the Voyager Expanded Learning program back in 2001 essentially forced D.C. schools to run a pilot program over the objections of teachers and administrators -- since Congress controls the D.C. school budget.

Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu ducks and dodges a question about a controversial $2 million earmark for an experimental reading program in District of Columbia schools that Landrieu sponsored a few days after receiving $30,000 in campaign contributions from the company and its employees.

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., steered $2 million in federal funding to a campaign contributor for a reading program in District of Columbia schools.

The Washington Post reported last week [...] Landrieu directed the money for the Voyager Expanded Learning literacy program for kindergartners and first-graders. A former school official told the newspaper the district had picked a different reading curriculum.

Voyager’s political action committee, executives, employees, their relatives and lobbyists have contributed $80,000 to Landrieu, according to campaign finance reports cited by the paper.

Landrieu, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, served as the ranking Democrat on the District of Columbia subcommittee at the time [...] “It is not uncommon for members of Congress to receive contributions from individuals who support their policy goals,” Landrieu said.

Randy Best, founder of Voyager, said that after an initial meeting with Landrieu on the subject, someone from Landrieu’s office asked him to hold a fundraiser for her, which he did in Dallas.