Senate Duo Looks To Permanently Eliminate Earmarks

A bipartisan Senate duo introduced legislation Wednesday that would permanently eliminate earmarks. 

Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told reporters that their bill was “an effort to change the culture of Congress” and reign in wasteful spending. 

“We can’t afford to waste money this way,” Toomey said. 

Just over a year ago, both Toomey and McCaskill spearheaded and were successful in implementing a moratorium on earmark spending. Unfortunately, members have been able to find loopholes around the moratorium, according to McCaskill.

“I was shocked when I saw the House Armed Services Committee put into the Defense Authorization bill hundreds of earmarks,” McCaskill said. “Now, they claimed they weren’t earmarks but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. And these were earmarks, no question about it. 

The discrepancies in processing earmarks have resulted in their mismanagement, and, according to Toomey, have resulted in nearly $33 billion in wasteful spending over the past 15 years. Toomey also argued that the process has become a method for members to lock in votes on bills earmarks are attached to. 

“Earmarks became a currency that was used to buy votes,” Toomey said. “If somebody asked for an earmark in a bill and they got their earmark, they were obligated to vote for the bill regardless of how  bloated [and] wasteful it was.”

As it stands, neither party’s leadership has been approached regarding the bill, but McCaskill said that if, after having been brought to the floor for a vote, members fail to vote for eliminating earmarks it would be “the cherry on top of Congress’ dysfuncitonal sundae.”

GOP Doesn’t Mind Being ‘Party Of No’ On Spending

With Democrats in the Senate getting set to put forth a jobs bill, perhaps as early as Monday, their counterparts across the aisle are saying ‘no’ to more spending.

“We have a situation now that’s just too serious to continue to handle that way,” said Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) on Thursday. “It’s not an exaggeration to say our country is on the edge of a financial cliff.”

DeMint and fellow GOP Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and George LeMieux (R-Fla.) unveiled their party’s latest attempt to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington, calling on Congress to support a one-year moratorium on earmarks along with a Constitutional Amendment to balance the federal budget.

“What we’re doing here today, is to try and challenge everyone in the Senate -- Republican and Democrat -- to join us in those steps that we can take...to address our growing deficit,” said DeMint.

“Everything is gonna get cut...it’s gonna be painful, but I guarantee you that we can cut the agencies of government...by 20 percent even, maybe 30 percent,” added LeMieux.

McCain, a noted opponent of federal earmark spending, blasted President Barack Obama for supporting using unspent Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) funds to fuel a jobs bill which could total over $100 billion.

“The President says he’s gonna have a spending freeze next year, and in the very next breath proposes a hundred billion dollars in new spending called a ‘jobs bill.’ It’s out of control.”

The hard part now for the 11 cosponsors of the measures will be to actually practice what they preach. Graham, for example, has a known record of not being averse to requesting earmarks. As recently as 2009, he helped secure nearly 10 million dollars to fund construction of a fitness center inside Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Graham, however, said he’s willing to bite the proverbial bullet in the short-run.

“It would be tough for us all, but it’s the right thing for the future. So I don’t mind an earmark system in the future that’s transparent, that’s logical and fits within a balanced budget.”

New GOP Website “Shines Light" On Government Spending

By Mariko Lamb

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) unveiled a new GOP website Thursday that “shines the light on government spending.” Sunshine.gop.gov tracks stimulus project spending, earmarks, TARP programs, and transparency legislation.

“We thought it was important that taxpayers actually be able to see exactly how every dollar was being spent,” she said. “Sunshine.gop.gov will give taxpayers greater insight and ultimately hold the federal government accountable for how it spends our tax dollars.”

The site is more user-friendly and cost-effective than Recovery.gov, she said. Development of sunshine.gop.gov cost only $20,000 as opposed to the recent $18 million contract signed to update the administration’s stimulus site, Recovery.gov.

Rodgers urged both the public and the media to use the website as a tool to conduct research on government spending and pursue stories on wasteful government spending.

“We’re making a transition as far as using new media [and] the internet. It’s impacting the way we communicate as a society, but its also is impacting the way people get information,” she said. “This is a step in the right direction.”

Speaker Pelosi: "No more just here's the money, sit on it so that your capitalization is improved."

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service


Today in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s weekly press conference the economy was still a big issue. Pelosi started off the conference by speaking about the deterioration of the economy and how President Obama is putting forth initiatives in just the four weeks he has been in office. “Yesterday the President put forth the details and guidelines for a housing initiative that he announced earlier. Under it 79 million of Americans over the next couple of years will be able to modify their loans, they will have the opportunity to modify or re-finance their homes, stay in their homes. Today Congress will pass legislation on housing and bankruptcy which will help some more.” she said.

Pelosi addressed the housing, regulatory reform recovery package, stating that she is very positive about it. “A package that cuts taxes for the middle class, 95% of the American people. A package that will create or save 3-4 million jobs over the next few years and a package that strives to bring stability to our economy.” she said. 

Today, President Obama is holding a health care summit and Pelosi said that healthcare costs are the biggest problem of the American people. “It’s about a healthier America, it’s about recognizing that health care reform is regulatory reform and it recognizes that health care is an economic issue.” 

The Speaker also said that she agreed with President Obama stating that we need to have fewer earmarks. “This whole thing about the Republican side about earmarks is so disingenuous...The idea is lower number, more transparency, total accountability.” she said. 

When it came down to talking about money, Pelosi said that distribution of the TARP funds must fulfill the purpose of why the money is given to them. “No more just here’s the money, sit on it so that your capitalization is improved.” When it came down to talk about the auto industry Pelosi concluded by saying, “Any money that we give to the auto industry must be considered a lifeline, not life support. This all has to be about viability of the auto industry to survive.”

Gov. Palin: Reallocate funding from "fruit fly research in France" to helping children with special needs

Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) gave her first policy speech of the campaign today in Pittsburgh, focusing on policy adjustment for special needs children. Palin said the money politicians are extracting through earmarks for "pet projects" such as "fruit fly research in France" should be reallocated to "take care of the most vulnerable children." Mentioning motivation from "God's vision of perfection versus the world's vision of perfection," Palin said she would triple the funding for special needs children by 2011 if elected Vice President.

Palin stated that the public school systems are failing to render enough help for special needs children like her son, who has down’s syndrome. She spoke about federal funding to follow every special needs child without "bureaucratic complications or barriers". She pledged to "finally fully fund" the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as well as Individualized Education Programs. Palin said parents of children with disabilities have "enough complications already" and should have more options in schools for their children, whether they be private or public schools.

While Palin and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) intend to "reduce taxes to promote growth" if elected, Palin scrutinized Senator Obama's (D-Ill.) plan to raise taxes because it would have "serious and harmful consequences" for parents of special needs children, who might lose funding for things like Special Needs Trusts.