Roll Call Confirms Democrats' "Earmark-Free" '07 Spending Bill Contains Funding For Hidden Earmarks
Washington,
Feb 7, 2007 -
Last week House Republicans exposed the fact that the massive spending bill passed by House Democrats for FY 2007 includes hundreds of millions of dollars worth of funding for hidden earmarks, despite Democratic leaders' public pledge that their spending bill would be “earmark-free.” Today the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call provides additional confirmation of the Democrats' hidden earmark scheme, reporting that Members and lobbyists have been quietly calling federal agencies to ensure their hidden projects will be funded by the money in the massive bill.
The back-door earmarking is apparently taking place without opposition from top Democrats, who have yet to publicly comment on the practice, much less condemn it.
“Members — and the lobbyists who push for funding of specific projects — have turned their attention to the executive branch agencies doling out chunks of money that otherwise would have gone for earmarks,” Roll Call reports (Kate Ackley & John Stanton, “Members Earmarking Without Earmarks,” 07 Feb 07). “Members, especially those on the Appropriations and authorizing committees, can wield considerable behind-the-scenes power to make sure their favored projects get funded by executive-branch agencies."
“One appropriations lobbyist, who would not be quoted by name, said Members and staffers alike have been calling agency officials to protect their 2007 earmarks,” Roll Call reports.
“I heard Members and staff already made the calls before they put the money in the omnibus bill,” the lobbyist reportedly told Roll Call. “They would say verbally, ‘If we have this group submit an application — as long as it is complete and accurate and fits within the parameters of the program — you will honor that, right?’”
“Senate aides privately acknowledged that their offices likely would begin contacting agencies to stress their desire that funds earmarked in the appropriations bills passed last year make it to those specific projects,” Roll Call reports.
Among the hidden earmarks funded through the Democrats’ massive spending bill:
- The Tropical Rain Forest in Iowa is Back. The whopping measure keeps the infamous rain forest biosphere project in Iowa on track to receive $44.6 million.
- Department of Energy (DOE) Weapons Projects Total $495 million in Earmarks. The bill allows funding to continue for:
- $149 million for three construction projects nearing completion in FY 2007.
- $80 million for the cancelled Life Extension Program for the W80 warhead.
- $266 million for cancelled earmarks contained in the FY 2006 conference report.
- Department of Energy (DOE) Fossil Energy Research and Development Total $114 million in Earmarks. The measure allows continued funding for:
- $49.7 million in duplicative funding for oil and gas research at DOE even though the program now has a similar mandatory funding stream which began under the 2005 Energy Policy Act.
READ MORE:
