Broun Demands No Earmarks in Lame Duck Session
Washington,
Oct 6 -
U.S. Representative Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10), along with other House Republicans, yesterday sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to request no earmarks be included in lame duck spending bills. Since Congress failed to complete any of the 12 appropriation bills by the end of the fiscal year, Congress is expected to return for a lame duck session and consider an omnibus spending bill.
“Congress spent the majority of the past two years ramming through a government takeover of health care and the big-government stimulus packages, and they failed to pass a federal budget, stop a record-high tax increase, and complete the necessary spending bills for the 2011 Fiscal Year,” said Broun. “I am disappointed that Speaker Pelosi ignored the priorities of the American people and failed to ensure Congress completed its most basic responsibilities. At the very least, the American people deserve clean and transparent spending bills. Therefore, I am joining my Republican colleagues and requesting no earmarks be included in the upcoming omnibus bill.”
The letter reads, “While Congress should finish its business by considering appropriation bills, we write to urge you at minimum to resist the temptation of including earmarks in any other post-election appropriations scenarios…At a minimum, taxpayers should be protected from thousands of unvetted earmarks, produced by a process driven by a spoils system, being stuffed into any end-of-year appropriations measure and shielded from review.”
###
