SOTU: Federal Earmarks Have Exploded Under Bush And GOP-Led Congress
SOTU: Federal Earmarks Have Exploded Under Bush And GOP-Led Congress
Bush said: “The people’s trust in their Government is undermined by congressional earmarks — special interest projects that are often snuck in at the last minute, without discussion or debate.”
FACT — BUSH HAS ENGAGED IN HIS OWN EARMARKING: In 2007, Bush stuffed approximately 580 earmarks worth $15.6 billion into his appropriation request for military construction and veterans affairs. Bush’s earmarks included $24 million for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program and “$8.9 million for the Points of Light foundation, a pet project started by his father, former President George H.W. Bush.” [Washington Examiner, 11/15/07]
FACT — BUSH HAS REPEATEDLY SIGNED PORK-LADEN BILLS INTO LAW: According to the Congressional Research Service, there were 997 earmarks in the Fiscal 2000 defense appropriation bill. By the Fiscal 2005 law that Bush signed into law, there were 2506 earmarks, “more than two and half times the number contained the Fiscal 2000 bill.” In the bill funding the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, the number of earmarks grew from 291 in 2000 to 3,014 in 2005. [Lilly, 1/28/08]
FACT — EARMARKS EXPLODED UNDER THE GOP-CONTROLLED CONGRESS: When Republicans took over Congress in 1994, there were 4,000 earmarks on appropriations bills. At the end of the 109th Congress in 2005, there were 15,000. [Washington Post, 1/25/06; The Gavel, 1/28/08]
FACT — CURRENT 110TH CONGRESS HAS CUT EARMARKS IN HALF: “As promised when they took control of Congress,” in 2007, “House Democratic leaders cut in half from last year the value of earmarks in the bill, as they did in the other 11 agency spending measures.” [New York Times, 11/4/07]
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Someone PLESE stand up on the floor of the chamber and SCREAM
January 28th, 2008 at 9:19 pmYOU FU(KING TRAITOR!!!!!!
He is not a traitor.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:23 pmHe is just commander in shit.
Whitehouse IS TAKING CALLS NOW.
January 28th, 2008 at 10:08 pm1-20-456-1111
Anyone recall the bridge to nowhere. There’s one that should have been vetoed. Nice one “Mr. Prez”
January 28th, 2008 at 10:19 pmSamR, the Bridge to Nowhere was shot down by Congress. Alaska still got all that money but it wasn’t earmarked for the bridge. It will be interesting to see where it goes.
January 28th, 2008 at 11:16 pmIt should be noted that this war on earmarks is really just one more step in the expansion of executive power. As seen below, the OMB considers any restrictions placed upon spending by Congress to be earmarks.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2007/m07-09.pdf
January 28th, 2008 at 11:30 pmIt should also be noted that it was the 110th Congress that passed the “”Honest Leadership and Open Government Act”, which (among other things) allowed Senators to raise a point of order against a specific item added by conference committee, without objecting to an entire bill, thereby controlling earmarks but leaving the power where it belongs, with Congress.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:54 am