DEMOCRATS' RECORD OF FAILURE: Fiscal Responsibility

In January, Democrats took the reins in Congress, portraying themselves as agents of change who would restore trust by ending pork-barrel politics in Washington. But after the first 100 days of Democratic rule, it is clear Democrats are exactly who we thought they were all along – the same old party of tax-and-spend government. And congressional pork is back, with a vengeance.

The collapse started in February when House Democrats passed a massive spending bill for fiscal year 2007 – a bill they touted as “earmark-free,” which was later confirmed to contain hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for earmarks. Weeks later, Democrats passed a war spending bill loaded with billions of dollars in pork projects, with Democratic leaders reportedly threatening to deny prized earmarks to members who opposed the leadership’s plan to choke off funding for American troops and their mission in Iraq. Instead, Democratic leaders moved to pork up the war funding bill on the backs of our troops, providing funding for spinach, tropical fish, and other pet projects in exchange for their support for a bill that gave al-Qaeda a timetable for American surrender.

House Democrats continued their fiscally irresponsible run in late March by passing a budget containing the largest tax increase in American history, raising taxes on middle-class families to pay for the Democrats’ new spending. All this, in fewer than 100 days.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DEMOCRATS’ FAILURES ON FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Democrats’ failure on the issue of fiscal responsibility has not gone unnoticed. Here’s just a sampling of comments about their record in the first 100 days of the 110th Congress:

“Democratic Congressional leaders have pledged to end the anonymity by requiring disclosure of the lawmakers who sponsor earmarks, and some have proposed ending the practice of ‘airdropping’ items into a bill just before final passage. But the appropriators and their allies often complain that such measures single them out unfairly, and Democratic draft proposals introduced this year left loopholes for many projects.”
- “In New Congress, Pork May Linger,” New York Times, November 26, 2006

“‘This is an earmark-free [omnibus spending bill],’ boasted Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, who chairs the Democratic Caucus. But the claim of ‘earmark’ purity doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. … The ‘no earmarks’ loophole was big enough to allow a convoy of earmarks into the final bill, including $185 million for agricultural research projects and $50 million to build an experimental rain forest in Iowa.”
- “Democrats’ No Earmark Pledge ‘Doesn’t Stand Up to Scrutiny,’” OpinionJournal’s Political Diary, February 2, 2007

“It’s hard to say which is worse: leaders offering peanuts for a vote of this magnitude, or members allowing their votes to be bought for peanuts.”
- “Pork Has No Place in ‘Emergency’ War Bill,” USA Today Editorial, March 22, 2007

“As it is, House Democrats are pressing a bill that has the endorsement of MoveOn.org but excludes the judgment of the U.S. commanders who would have to execute the retreat the bill mandates. It would heap money on unneedy dairy farmers while provoking a constitutional fight with the White House that could block the funding to equip troops in the field.”
- “Retreat and Butter,” Washington Post Editorial, March 23, 2007

“Democratic leaders and appropriators responded by adding $21 billion to the [troop funding bill]. The vast majority of the additions comprised pork projects or spending utterly unrelated to the wars. The extra spending was designed for a single purpose: to purchase support from Democrats who otherwise would have voted against the bill. Moderate Democrats opposed the legislation because of its war-fighting micromanagement features and ultimatums. Liberal Democrats opposed it because it did not stop funding the Iraq war.”
- “Hogs on the Hill,” Washington Times Editorial, March 23, 2007

REPUBLICANS ARE WORKING TO PROMOTE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

House Republicans have worked to bring greater transparency and accountability to how taxpayer dollars are spent. We brought earmark reform legislation to the floor and passed it last September, and yet virtually every Democrat – including Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Rahm Emanuel – voted “no.” The reform bill, which went into effect immediately upon passage, required public disclosure of the names of all earmark sponsors – the first time such legislation had ever been passed.

Last year House Republicans rejected $14 billion in unnecessary and non-emergency spending added by the Senate to the emergency supplemental bill. This year Republicans are fighting to do the same by rejecting worthless pork projects added to the war spending bill at the expense of our troops.

House Republicans also presented a fiscally-responsible proposal that balances the budget without raising taxes. On the other hand, in their first 100 days, House Democrats have failed their key tests of fiscal responsibility – and it is middle-class families and American troops who will pay the price.