To Christopher Cox, it seemed like a classic taxpayer boondoggle: a federally supported helium stockpile, created for World War I blimps, that somehow had survived into the 1990s.
So the conservative House Republican from Newport Beach turned to a liberal Democratic colleague, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, and suggested legislation to sell the cache to private enterprise. Frank agreed.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.