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Lawmakers seek to rein in raging pork
By DOUG ABRAHMS
Gannett News Service
February 5, 2006
WASHINGTON - A group of Senate fiscal conservatives see recent Washington scandals as a chance to force full disclosure of highway projects and other earmarked funding that influential lawmakers tuck into spending bills often in the dead of night.
Their proposal, which could be introduced next week, would require more time for the Senate to consider bridge, road and other earmarked projects and would make it easier to strip out last-minute add-ons. "The unsavory practice of inserting such provisions at the last minute stifles debate and empowers well-heeled lobbyists at the expense of those who cannot afford access to power," U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a letter to senators circulated last week. "Decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent should not be made in the dark, behind closed doors."
McCain is working with U.S. Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., John Ensign, R-Nev., Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and others to craft the proposal to rein in earmarks. They hope to enlist Democrats as well, Ensign said, referring to the measure, which would let senators challenge earmarks not included in the original House or Senate bills.
"We think (this proposal) will cut down the number of earmarks, and I believe that you will cut down on wasteful federal spending," Ensign said. "They can't add earmarks behind closed doors and in smoke-filled rooms."
Making the earmark process more transparent has a far better chance of passing than eliminating these projects, said Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group.
Ashdown said a small group of powerful members have become bolder in designating funding for specific projects in bills during conference committee negotiations before the House and Senate must make a final vote. Many lawmakers are unwilling to criticize these last minute increases, he said, for fear of losing their own projects.
Groups that hire lobbyists with access to ranking members have better shots at getting their projects funded than those that don't, Ashdown said.
"I think what people realize is that it has become a pay-to-play system and that if you're not putting money down and hiring a lobbyist you're not getting an earmark," he said. "It's not about the Republicans. It's about one party controlling all levers of government."
Ensign acknowledges that high-profile scandals have set the stage to reform the earmarking process.
"What we are doing is putting openness and accountability in a system that's not open and not accountable," he said. "I think it's important to bring back some credibility to elected officials, at least in the U.S. Senate."
Senator Tom Coburn's activity on the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2254 Fax: 202-228-3796
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