Newspaper Editorials: On Earmark Reform, It’s Say One Thing, Do the OtherPosted by Kevin Boland on March 13th, 2009
On Wednesday, President Obama signed a massive $410 billion omnibus spending bill - a piece of legislation that contains nearly 9,000 earmarks and increases non-emergency federal spending to levels not seen since the Carter years. Newspaper editorials blasted the President’s decision to sign a bill loaded with earmarks on the very day he was announcing earmark “reform.” Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) had called on the President to veto the omnibus, promising to deliver Republican votes to sustain his veto. Unfortunately, the President signed the bill - behind closed doors. On the very same day he OK’d a bill with 9,000 earmarks, the President made a big public showing of “reforming the earmarking process” - which prompted Leader Boehner to ask, “where’s the beef? Where’s the reform?” At the very least, earmarks lead to wasteful government spending; in the worst of cases they are simply corrupt. And the earmarks in the omnibus are no different. As the Los Angeles Times reported this week, “The spending bill Obama signed Wednesday is packed with such earmarks, including 13 that benefit clients of the PMA Group, a lobbying firm in Washington under federal investigation for alleged campaign-finance abuses.” Leader Boehner has maintained a ‘no earmarks’ policy throughout his 18 years of service in the House of Representatives. Newspapers were flummoxed by the President’s actions. Reaction from around the country: Christian Science Monitor: “Obama’s weak snort at pork”
The Washington Post: “He’ll Quit Tomorrow”
RSC Chairman Price Shows America the 9,000-Plus Earmarks Democrats Didn’t Want America to SeePosted by Dave on March 6th, 2009
American families are being forced to tighten their financial belts during the recession, but free-spending House Democrats today made clear they believe Congress is under no obligation to follow suit. Under orders from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), House Democrats voted in lockstep against a measure authored by Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) that would have imposed a spending freeze on nearly all federal programs and eliminated the more than 9,000 earmarks that were “airdropped” into a massive $410 billion spending bill by the Democratic leadership. The earmarks were dropped into the final text of the bill at the last moment by the Democratic leadership in an effort to minimize public scrutiny. In a new YouTube video, Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) does something the Democratic leadership didn’t want to do: he shows America what those 9,000-plus earmarks actually look like in legislative text: Some of these projects undoubtedly are legitimate. Many others undoubtedly are not. The “airdropping” tactic makes it impossible for Members of Congress and the American public to distinguish worthy projects from worthless pork - a procedure that has been abused by the Democratic majority repeatedly since it took the reins of power in 2007, despite its frequent boasts of increased transparency. America’s children and grandchildren will pay not just for the earmarks, but for the entire increase. This is simply a fact. The federal government is broke, and all of the money for these expenditures is being borrowed. Future generations of Americans are picking up the bill for each new spending adventure on which the Democratic Congress embarks. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has condemned the spending binge and called on President Obama to veto the bloated bill, pledging that House Republicans stand ready to work with the President to sustain his veto if he does. In a speech on the House floor, the Leader urged members on both sides of the aisle to join him in supporting a spending freeze that would hold the line on current federal spending and eliminate the more than 9,000 earmarks that were dropped into the bill without debate by the Democratic leadership. Democrats Again Reject Earmark Freeze Offered by RepublicansPosted by Nick on April 2nd, 2008
Following the release of the annual Citizens Against Government Waste Pig Book, House Republican leaders today forced a vote on a freeze on pork barrel projects. Unfortunately, Democrats rejected the GOP proposal by a vote of 215-199.Not surprisingly, a majority of Democrats including freshmen that Speaker Pelosi has “Showered with Pork,” declined to curb wasteful spending by enacting a one-year moratorium on taxpayer-funded earmarks. Earlier this week the Associated Press reported on Pelosi’s apparent unwillingness to address Washington’s broken spending process:
Visit earmarkreform.house.gov for more information on House Republicans’ continuing efforts to enact meaningful spending reform. Podcast UpdatePosted by Nick on March 17th, 2008
MORE: Past episodes and more information on Podcasts Podcast UpdatePosted by Nick on March 11th, 2008
MORE: Past episodes and more information on Podcasts How Much Will the Democrats’ Budget Raise Your Taxes?Posted by Nick on March 7th, 2008
From the Office of the Budget Committee Republicans: The House Democrats’ Budget, expected to be on the floor next week, will impose on American workers and businesses a $683 billion tax hike – the largest in history. The table below illustrates how much more the average taxpayer will be paying on an annual basis under this budget:
Budget Buzz Wrap UpPosted by Nick on March 6th, 2008
We would like to thank everyone that joined us yesterday as we live-blogged the Budget Committee debate over the Democrats’ FY 2009 budget. Their budget will now move to the floor of the U.S. House next week for a vote. Moving forward, it is our goal to use this and other innovative tools to provide the American people with a more transparent and accountable Congress. If the 300 percent increase in visits to the site that we received yesterday is any indication, this is a feature many of you found interesting. Please check back regularly for updates and future special events. House Democrats Make History, and You Pay for ItPosted by GOP Leader Press Office on March 5th, 2008
12:30 A.M. - Democrats on the House Budget Committee made history today. Here’s just a sampling of what they achieved: • Passed the largest tax increase in American history; • Raised federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars to grow government programs; • Refused to stop earmarks and begin real reform; • Raised taxes on children by slashing the $1,000 per child tax credit in half; and • Refused to rein in entitlement spending in order to save Medicare for future generations. Yes, it was an historic day, but unfortunately America’s workers and middle-income families will be footing the bill for all of this in the form of massive tax hikes, exploding deficits and overburdened entitlement programs. Every single Republican voted NO on the Democrats’ fiscally irresponsible budget; every Democrat voted YES. Examiner Editorial: Oink! Oink! Murtha’s porkfestPosted by GOP Leader Press Office on February 27th, 2008
From today’s Examiner.com:
Links for February 22, 2008Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on February 22nd, 2008
Somebody Doesn’t Like Earmark Reform… (The Club for Growth) Boehner Protests House Decision to Yank Earmark Site (The Hill) Congressional Earmark Reform Website Comes Under Fire (Heritage Foundry Blog) |
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