Dr. Coburn Urges White House to Veto Token Earmark Reform
January 9, 2007
^(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) today sent the following letter to OMB Director Rob Portman urging the White House to work constructively and aggressively with Congress as policymakers consider earmark reform legislation.
Excerpts:
“… I’m convinced that the President’s ongoing leadership in this area will be critical to ensuring that Congress produces something beyond token reform.” ^
“… history suggests that Congress will pass just enough reform to claim it has achieved a ‘reformed process’ before returning to the business as usual practices that voters rejected in November.”
“… What is at stake is not merely Congress’ reputation but our ability to put the federal government back on a sustainable fiscal course.”
January 9, 2007
The Honorable Rob Portman
Director
Office of Management and Budget
725 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20503
Dear Mr. Portman,
Like many Americans, I have been encouraged by the President’s recent calls for Congress to not only reform the earmark process, but to reduce the total number and cost of earmarks. Making the earmark process more transparent and accountable is important, but the best reform is to reduce the number and cost of earmarks. In recent decades earmarks have become a cancer on the federal budget and the legislative process. While any earmark reduction is helpful, we need to pursue bolder measures. No physician, for instance, would stop at reducing a patient’s cancer by 50 percent. As Congress considers earmark reform legislation in the coming weeks, I’m convinced that the President’s ongoing leadership in this area will be critical to ensuring that Congress produces something beyond token reform.
The pledge made by the Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Representative David Obey (D-WI) and Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), respectively, to “place a moratorium on all earmarks until a reformed process is put in place” represents a welcome, but ambiguous and incomplete, commitment to reform. While I intend to do everything in my power to help my colleagues – whether Republican or Democrat – pass meaningful earmark reform, history suggests that Congress will pass just enough reform to claim it has achieved a “reformed process” before returning to the business as usual practices that voters rejected in November.
The institutional and political factors that led to an explosion of earmarks and the phenomenon of the earmark favor factory and its related scandals were not unique to either party, and neither party in Congress has the capability and credibility to reform the earmark process without genuine bipartisan cooperation and the active involvement of the executive branch. I would therefore encourage the administration to consider the following measures that will both encourage Congress to pass meaningful earmark reform and advance the President’s goal of cutting the number and cost of earmarks:
1) In light of the current earmark moratorium, immediately direct agencies to cancel nonessential earmarks that were appropriated in previous years but receive recurring funding.
2) Exercise the President’s virtual line-item veto authority by directing agencies to ignore non-binding earmarks, like those that appear in committee report language or joint explanatory statements.
3) Direct agency officials to not implement backdoor earmark requests that are delivered by telephone or other indirect means and to create a public record of those requests.
4) Pledge to veto any earmark reform legislation that is weaker than the package passed by the House, which contains minimal but essential reforms.
As you know very well, windows of opportunity to pass meaningful reform in Washington do not stay open indefinitely. I would urge the administration to be active, constructive and, when necessary, aggressive, participants in this process. What is at stake is not merely Congress’ reputation but our ability to put the federal government back on a sustainable fiscal course. For the past 20 years, earmarks have been the gateway to spending addiction in Congress. Earmarks have been extremely costly in their own right but the earmark process itself has kept government bigger and taxes higher than they might be otherwise. The earmark process has also been a debilitating distraction necessary for members and their staff. At a time when we are combating international terrorism and facing entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security that are on the verge of bankruptcy, it is unconscionable for members to devote so much of their energy to activities that are often better left to local government or private entities.
Thank you again for your commitment to serious earmark reform and spending reduction. I look forward to working with you to turn these priorities into accomplishments.
