Think Progress

McCain’s Plan To Cut Earmarks Would Eliminate Aid To Israel»

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has long portrayed himself as a staunch supporter of Israel. “Obvioiusly,” McCain has said, “I have been a very strong proponent to the State of Israel.” He recently told the Jewish Journal that if elected president, he would “hit the ground running” and immediately get involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

It is astounding then that McCain has essentially vowed to eliminate U.S. funding assistance for Israel. In a speech yesterday on the economy, McCain said that as president, he will eliminate pork barrel spending, otherwise known as “earmarks”:

If that authority is entrusted to me, I will use the veto as needed, and as the Founders intended. I will veto every bill with earmarks, until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. I will seek a constitutionally valid line-item veto to end the practice once and for all.

Today on MSNBC, McCain cited “$65 billion” in earmarks “that’s already on the books” that he would cut. Watch it:

Screenshot

McCain does not identify the $65 billion in earmarks. In a conference call with reporters yesterday, McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said that McCain’s plan to eliminate earmarks uses the Congressional Research Service’s (CRS) definition of the term. According to an analysis by Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Scott Lilly, that CRS report identifies $52 billion per year which qualifies as earmark spending (Read the analysis here).

The problem is that the CRS — the group Holtz-Eakin cited as the basis for McCain’s earmark elimination plan — says that U.S. aid to Israel is considered an earmark:

Several special characteristics of the practice of earmarking in Foreign Operations bills are worth noting. Some observers define earmarks in a more limited way, identifying only provisions that direct spending for items not requested by the Administration or in excess of levels proposed for activities or countries. Although many Foreign Operations earmarks fall within this more narrow definition, congressional directives specifying spending amounts that are the same as shown in the Administration’s illustrative listing for country distributions also are regarded as earmarks. Annual earmarks for economic and military aid to Israel and Egypt are examples of such directives.

So is McCain’s plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate all aid to Israel?

Digg it!

UpdateScott Lilly has more at the Wonk Room.
UpdateThe McCain campaign has responded here.
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44 Responses to “McCain’s Plan To Cut Earmarks Would Eliminate Aid To Israel”


  1. scytherius Says:

    If it eliminates aid to Israel then I’m all for it.


  2. RUCerious Says:

    Gawd, that would be great. But I still wouldn’t vote for John Sidney McCain III. or IV or V…


  3. MCMetal Says:

    So is McCain’s plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate all aid to Israel?

    As ifffffffff……………..

    Like McStupid would ever jeopardize his relationship with his BFF in the likes of Joe Lieberman that way ?


  4. puunjab Says:

    Leave the false straw man arguments to the right. We don’t need them to prove McCain is a liar and an idiot. To maintain aid to Israel would just require a bill with that specific intent.

    Blowing away earmarks doesn’t mean Israel can’t get aid.

    If X then Y does not translate to If Y then X. It’s a basic premeise of logic.


  5. galmud Says:

    McCain will make an exception to Israel. Because Israel really needs more US aid than Africa and South America combined (excluding Egypt and Colombia)


  6. Loonie Says:

    Wouldn’t it be great if one of the slimy, gutless MSM worms who call themselves journalists would actually ask him that? Imagine the dumb look on his face. It would be priceless.


  7. Fred Says:

    I will veto every bill with earmarks, until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. I will seek a constitutionally valid line-item veto to end the practice once and for all.

    Well, if hell freezes over and he gets elected, he won’t do any such a thing. where has he been for the last 7 years?

    Additionally, line item veto is unconstitutional…..big surprise he wants it.


  8. StratRat Says:

    Fred at #1 said it perfectly. When McSame wakes up from his nap, one of his aides will remind him as to what he said. Immediately McSame will blame the librul press and claim his words were taken out of context. Nothing to see here - move along now. McSame does get some things right - like his kewl recipies, YumYum.


  9. RUCerious Says:

    Nope, that earmark didn’t have rainbow sprinkles, gotta veto that one…


  10. MapleStreet Says:

    Should I chalk it up as McCain being ignorant of the effect of his campaign ideas

    -OR-

    That he’ll say anything as a campaign promise


  11. Zooey Says:

    ThinkProgress: The all McCain all the time blog.

    **yawn**

    What about Hillary!? What about Obama!? They say dumb things too!


  12. hussein toasterhead Says:

    I don’t understand how that’s an earmark. The level of direct cash transfer to countries is specified in the Congressional budget request in accordance with whatever bilateral agreement we have in place with the receipent country. How does that fit the definition of an earmark?


  13. StratRat Says:

    What about Hillary!? What about Obama!? They say dumb things too!

    Hillary? Obama? Never heard of them :)


  14. Zooey Says:

    StratRat Says:

    What about Hillary!? What about Obama!? They say dumb things too!

    Hillary? Obama? Never heard of them :)

    April 16th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    Exactly…


  15. Guido the Loving OBGYN Says:

    lol mccain must be trying to woo prog voters.


  16. McWars Says:

    We have democratic contenders? What is Zooey smoki– er, studying?


  17. Klem Kiddilehopper Says:

    StratRat,
    What about the Cccccchhhhhhiiiiiillllddddrrrreeeeeennnnnn!


  18. StratRat Says:

    Klem Kiddilehopper Says:

    StratRat,
    What about the Cccccchhhhhhiiiiiillllddddrrrreeeeeennnnnn!

    Never heard of them either. OT: I miss Red Skelton.


  19. Dr. Hussein Matt Says:

    I will veto every bill with earmarks, until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks.

    Translation: I will veto every bill with Democratic earmarks, until the Democratic Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. However, if they are reich-wing earmarks, that’s another story all together.


  20. tarazan Says:

    I don’t believe it..
    Israel aid is getting bigger and bigger…
    With mentors like Lieberman and Podhoretz(we must bomb Iran man)that are advising McWar, this remains simply a McCain talk.
    Nobody in the Congress has the guts to touch this Israeli entitlement.
    McCain’s hopes of being elected will be derailed if he tries to touch this issue…
    I agree with him…but it remains to be seen.


  21. linda Says:

    well, i’ll be damned. that’s something i would support whole-heartedly. i am disgusted that this country is held hostage to aipac — in treasure and the sons and daughters of americans sacrificed on that belligerent country’s behalf.

    it’s about time.


  22. Fred Says:

    linda Says:

    come on Linda, you don’t believe it do you?


  23. Crusty Old Bastard Says:

    McCain has finally admitted he has CRS. I suspect, however, his version of CRS comes from Can’t Remember Shit. The man says he will hit the ground running. At his age, and I speak from experience, the only things that will be running are his mouth and bowels (sporadically).


  24. StratRat Says:

    Crusty Old Bastard Says:

    McCain has finally admitted he has CRS. I suspect, however, his version of CRS comes from Can’t Remember Shit. The man says he will hit the ground running. At his age, and I speak from experience, the only things that will be running are his mouth and bowels (sporadically).

    Let’s give McSame some credit. Maybe the noise coming out of his bowels makes more sense than the noise coming out of his mouth. It could happen.


  25. Freedom Rebel Says:

    The really sad part of this is he doesn’t even realize, most likely, that he would be eliminating aid to Israel in effect. He has admitted himself he doesn’t know anything about economics. Whether he is lying to Israel, who knows? But what would probably happen is, when the next bill that has money in it for Israel,that would be the time he won’t use his line item Veto. Which makes him a liar either way.

    He is truly a head case, in need of a very good doctor.


  26. freeatlast Says:

    Great! Now we can afford single-payer health care for all!


  27. Lesly Says:

    It is astounding then that McCain has essentially vowed to eliminate U.S. funding assistance for Israel.

    Good grief. No it isn’t. Until we invaded Iraq, Israel was #1 on our foreign economic and military assistance, even though there are several countries that do much worse than Israel in terms of security and economic prosperity.

    What has this gotten us? The luxury of Israel building illegal settlements, the security to defend these settlements from Palestinian attack and Palestinian resentment.

    You can read more about these issues from a 2005 CRS brief (pdf), the latest such report on Israeli aid I’m aware of.

    Some excerpts from the report:

    Israel is not economically self-sufficient, and relies on foreign assistance and borrowing to maintain its economy. Since 1985, the United States has provided $3 billion in grants annually to Israel. Since 1976, Israel has been the largest annual recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, and is the largest cumulative recipient since World War II. In addition to U.S. assistance, it is estimated that Israel receives about $1 billion annually through philanthropy, an equal amount through short- and long- term commercial loans, and around $1 billion in Israel Bonds proceeds.

    For FY2005, the United States provided $360 million in economic, $2.22 billion in military, and $50 million in migration resettlement assistance.

    Since 1974, some or all of U.S. military aid to Israel has been in the form of loans for which repayment is waived. Technically, the assistance is called loans, but as a practical matter, the military aid is grant. From FY1974 through FY2003, Israel has received more than $45 billion in waived loans.


  28. RUCerious Says:

    Should I feel special, that John Sidney McCain III is pandering to Me?


  29. StratRat Says:

    RUCerious Says:

    Should I feel special, that John Sidney McCain III is pandering to Me?

    No, he will get around to the rest of us shortly. But, do enjoy it while you can :)


  30. freeatlast Says:

    FYI: As usual, because of the undue influence of a “special” group of people, the Huffington Post link to this article is not allowing free expression and discourse on their comments section. Nice to see there are still “untarnished” sites which allow a different opinion to be posted than only those that are politically correct.


  31. Chocolate Jesus Says:

    > So is McCain’s plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate
    > all aid to Israel?

    Ha… thats funny…hey, Israel deserves our money just as much as oil companies deserve our subsidies..


  32. barfly Says:

    So is McCain’s plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate all aid to Israel?

    McCain doesn’t do earmarks. Shoemarks on his chin… now, that’s a different story.


  33. linda Says:

    fred…

    /snark off…

    ;)


  34. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    If McCain were to be elected, there is no way he would end earmarks. His Republican brethren would not allow him to do that. Besides, there is nothing wrong with many of the “earmarks”. Most go to worthy projects. I do agree that we need to stop the practice of attaching earmarks to bills that have nothing to do with the earmarks. I believe that Congress should pass a law saying that a bill can only have one single subject. There are many other nefarious things that can be slipped into bills that have nothing to do with earmarks. Then Congress could have maybe two sessions a year for “appropriation spending” and this would be where congress people would ask for the pork they want to take back to their district. Full disclosure on every “earmark” will also be helpful.


  35. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Fred Says:
    Additionally, line item veto is unconstitutional…..big surprise he wants it.

    Says the Supreme Court. I suspect he is hoping he will be elected and then be able to pack the Supreme Court to get the result he wants.

    I hope the Democrats hit hard on the Supreme Court in this election cycle. Heaven help this country if McCain is elected and is able to appoint a couple of more Supremes.


  36. NOLIESPLEASE Says:

    First the Muslems, then engages Haggy then go the Catholics, Doesn’t show up to the Faith and Values Forum , there goes the Christian Right and now the Jews. Do Athesests get offended? hmmm


  37. betz55 Says:

    Cut US aid to Israel.The US should stop pandering to Israel and it`s destructive policies.Cut off aid and stop the loan guarantees.Demand peace and fair settlement with the Palestinians and extract the US from Israel`s damaging,harmful,negative, apartheid policies.Israel is not a third world country. It is a theocracy that uses US monetary aid, which requires no accountability,to oppress the Palestinians, perpetuate apartheid,and build settlements in the occupied territories.Israeli policies are not longer in line with US policies,and,as a result are making the US more of a target than ever in the Islamic world.If Israel cannot exist without the U.S. giving them billions of dollars every year,then the Israels need to pack their bags and move on. Each year US aid to Israel gives each man, woman, and child the equivalent of over $1500.00 each while cutting programs in the US due to “funding”.Why on earth are American taxpayers forced to give billions of dollars yearly to Israel when our own people are homeless or soon to be, have no jobs, no healthcare.There is no justification for forcing the U.S. public to pay for health care,education, and housing for the Israelis while our own people go without.


  38. dictatortot Says:

    I think TP is being unfair to McCain on the question of funding for Israel.

    The criticisms of his overall economic plan, however, are spot on. My question: do Clinton or Obama have better plans? Aren’t we choosing between tax and spend from Democrats, and cut taxes and cut spending from Republicans?

    Either is better than Bush’s policy: cut taxes and spend!

    Newsprism


  39. shaun Says:

    whoa nelly!!! - did i read that right? - 52 billion per year to israel??? - for what??? - what does giving money to them do for america? - i mean,they haven’t exactly stood by bush and surged with petraeus in iraq to help police a religious civil war - in the last 5 years the usa has given them 260 billion - i’d be asking these pricks to return a bit of love!!


  40. alphainfinityomega Says:

    GOOD !!

    _AIO_


  41. Uncle Ho Says:

    TP: moderation of my post?

    WTF? You’d better check the historical records before yanking my post.

    FACT: June, 1967 Israeli aircraft repeatedly strafed and bombed the USS Liberty in the Mediterranean causing numerous casualties- dead and wounded.

    THAT is what I was referring to. or is TP’s policy is to prohibit any and all criticism of Israel or its policies?


  42. hupy Says:

    It IS about time we cut our colony Israel loose. Let those people go! If this is truly McCain position I plan to vote for him for president. Every single bullet that nails a Palestinian child has USA printed on it. Our staunch support of Israel has reaped the US nothing but scorn in the Mid East. What have we received in return?


  43. Professor Challenger Says:

    Good

    Let’s have a political discussion about that.

    Prof.


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