But, is that a fair criticism? PolitiFact Virginia consulted several sources and found the answer is no. The policy director for a non-partisan group that's advocating a balanced budget even called it "absurd." Josh Gordon of the Concord Coalition said, "I think if you were going to criticize someone for earmarks, the more appropriate measure would be the amount of earmarks the senator requested for Virginia, and how many he got. You can't just not fund the government because one of the 525 representatives (in Congress) has a $1,000 check going to somewhere in his district."