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Pelosi Uses Panic to Pass Pork
Year-end spending bill doubles cost of earmarks, violates President’s earmark principles; Obey says pet projects added "the old fashioned way" |
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September 26, 2008 - Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) expressed disappointment that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used the focus on the financial crisis to pass billions of dollars on thousands of new earmarks included in the continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government through March of next year. The $16.1 billion for 2,627 earmarks in the CR is nearly double the cost of pet projects in the same bills from last year, and almost four times the level the President said he would except. In January, the President promised to "veto any appropriations bill Congress sends him that does not cut the number and cost of earmarks in half."
"As politicians tell Americans our nation faces a financial crisis, the earmark business on Capitol Hill is booming," said Senator DeMint. “Congress has the lowest approval rating in history, and it’s well-earned. Washington seems to have no time to lower taxes or reform government, but plenty of time to bail out Wall Street and mortgage our nation's future with pork barrel spending."
The CR, which passed the House on Wednesday, includes three appropriations bills for Defense, Military Construction and Veterans’ Administration, and Homeland Security. According to totals provided by staff of the House Budget Committee, the three appropriations bills included $16.1 billion for 2,627 earmarks requested by members of Congress for Fiscal Year 2009. That represents a 197% increase in the total cost of earmark spending and a 109% increase in the total number of earmarks from the same three bills in Fiscal Year 2008, which spent $8.17 billion for 2,399 earmarks, according to the Office of Budget and Management. $16.1 billion for earmarks in just three bills is almost as much as the $16.5 billion Congress spent in all 12 appropriations bills last year.
“It's obvious Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Obey are hoping no one notices this explosion in earmark spending during the economic panic. Sadly, most members of Congress have no idea what is in this bill, yet they are rushing it through 'the old fashioned way.' It's loaded with congressional earmarks, but since most politicians have something in the bill, no one is asking questions,” said Senator DeMint.
As reported by Bloomberg News:The plan outlined by [House Appropriations Committee Chairman David] Obey would give Republicans less than 24 hours to scrutinize legislation spending more than $600 billion on the defense, homeland security and veterans' affairs agencies including thousands of pet projects known as earmarks. Asked if the process of has been secretive, Obey said: "You're **** right it has because if it's done in the public it would never get done." He said he wanted to avoid his colleagues' "pontificating" on the content of the legislation, saying "that's what politicians do when this stuff is done in full view of the press." He said "we've done this the old fashioned way by brokering agreements in order to get things done and I make no apology for it."
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