WASHINGTON -- Despite federal probes and promises to change, the Republican-controlled House continues to draft spending bills setting aside billions of dollars for home-state projects without disclosing the sponsor.
Most are relatively small: $1 million in the Environmental Protection Agency's budget to match $2.8 million from the egg industry to study emissions outside laying-hen houses. Others are bigger: $41 million for a new Homeland Security Department data center coveted by the Kentucky delegation.
House Appropriations Committee estimates show that at least $2.4 billion in such earmarks have been included in the first five bills for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. But as the House begins floor debate this week on 2007 appropriations, the committee says it won't reveal the sponsors until Congress enacts the new requirements.
"Nobody's instructed us to do that," said a panel spokesman. "It's sensitive enough that we can't unilaterally do that."
Failing to disclose may cause trouble for the panel, whose reputation has taken a beating in the past six months. One former member is in prison after taking bribes for inserting earmarks into bills; recent news reports have described new federal investigations.
The House voted May 3 to require more disclosure of earmarks as part of a lobbying overhaul bill. But the changes will be largely neutered without voluntary disclosure up front, since House and Senate negotiators could take months resolving the lobbying bill.
"It's business as usual," said Rep. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), an early advocate of more transparency. "I think the appropriations committee just hopes that this is never enacted into law."
To be sure, the continued appetite for earmarks in an election year reflects pressure from rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties. The practices vary from one bill to the next, but Democrats often get about 30% to 40% of the total dollars, and both sides work with their respective party leaders to steer projects to politically vulnerable members.
Connecticut is a political battleground, for example, and more can be learned about initiatives from the candidates than the actual $26 billion budget bill for the EPA and Interior Department. "Shays Shepherds Norwalk through First Step Toward $1 million for Environmental Improvements," read a news release from Rep. Christopher Shays (R., Conn.). "Simmons Delivers $800K for Quinebaugh-Shetucket Heritage Corridor," according to Rep. Rob Simmons's Web site. The Connecticut Republican also faces a tough race.
At this stage, the House panel appears to be making an effort to at least freeze spending near the 2006 level -- or make some reduction.
In reporting his $30 billion energy and water bill last week, for example, Rep. David Hobson (R., Ohio) estimated that he had reduced the total value of House earmarks in the bill to $1.04 billion, a $200 million, or 16%, reduction from last year.
