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July 15, 2007

GOP's turn to complain loudly about earmarks

By Jerome L. Sherman

Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette

WASHINGTON -- On Capitol Hill, the battle of the earmarks is heating up.

The pet projects that lawmakers tuck into massive federal appropriation bills have exploded in recent years. In 2006, there were 9,963 such projects, costing $29 billion. In 1991, there were just 546 projects, costing $3.1 billion, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-partisan group based in Washington, D.C.

Most of that increase took place under a Republican-controlled Congress that included several high-profile scandals, including the conviction and imprisonment of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a California lawmaker who was convicted of bribery after accepting millions of dollars from contractors who were trying to secure earmarks.

On the campaign trial last year, Democrats railed against the GOP's free spending and what they called a "culture of corruption."

Republicans are now returning the favor, attacking the new majority party for backing down on promises of a completely transparent process for handling earmarks. In response, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has said all approved projects would carry sponsors' names and would be available for scrutiny before House negotiators meet with their Senate counterparts to approve final bills.

The GOP sees a convenient target in Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, who, as the head of the House subcommittee panel on defense appropriations, is an expert in securing federal money for pet projects.

Rep. Michael Rogers, a Michigan lawmaker, in May tried to cut off funding for the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, calling it wasteful. He then accused Mr. Murtha of threatening him with political retaliation. A reprimand motion failed on the House floor.

The House's loudest anti-earmark crusader is Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. Last month, he tried to remove about $1.5 million in Murtha money from appropriations bills, including $1.2 million for the Southwest Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission.

"His are just tough to avoid. There are so many," said Mr. Flake, who declines to request earmarks for his district. "There should be a merit-based process. Earmarks, by their definition, circumvent the process."

Mr. Murtha says his staff carefully vets each proposal. His allies say the GOP has targeted him because of his outspoken criticism of the Iraq war.

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