JOHN BOEHNER

It’s now been five days since White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed that President Obama supports “an outright ban on earmarks” after questions were raised as to whether that was in fact the case.  Unfortunately, the president has yet to call on Democratic Leaders to follow House and Senate Republicans in adopting an earmark ban in the 112^th Congress.  Of course, it’s not hard to decipher the president’s hesitation, what with Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) offering “no apologies” for his support of earmarking as we know it.  For her part, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has fallen silent on earmarks despite declaring in July 2006, “‘I’d get rid of all of them.  None of them is worth the skepticism, the cynicism the public has . … and the fiscal irresponsibility of it.”

Under the headline “Earmark foes pressure Obama,” The Washington Times reports on how “newly emboldened earmark foes are calling on President Obama to back up his opposition to pork-barrel spending with action”:

“‘The president really is the lynchpin in all of this,’ said Steve Ellis, vice president of government watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. ‘He can talk to the Senate Democrats and say, 'Hey, it's not like I'm telling you to do something I didn't do when I was in the Senate.' So he has a bit of the moral high ground there.’ … The president has been less interested in standing up to lawmakers when it comes to pork barrel spending projects - despite vowing to crack down on them during his 2008 campaign.”

Meanwhile, support for an earmark ban continues to roll in from editorial boards around the country:

• Bismarck Tribune: “End the abuse of earmarks.  As a new leaf turns in our nation’s capital, let’s take politics out of earmarks and aggressively trim unnecessary federal spending, the kind that benefits limited numbers of people or entities. … Let’s begin the restoration of better ethics, better government.” (Editorial, 11/22/10) 
• Longmont (CO) Times-Call: “Listen to voters, ban the earmarks. … And whatever spending prerogatives they would lose with a ban is outweighed by what American citizens gain in a less corruptible and wasteful system of federal spending.  That’s part of what American voters said they wanted earlier this month. They deserve to have it.” (Editorial, 11/19/10) 
• Culpeper Star-Exponent: Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA “understands now is the time to work across party lines to restore fiscal sanity and forge a new direction.  A moratorium on earmarks, which Cantor has pushed for since 2006, is a promising start.” (Editorial, 11/21/10) 
• Appleton (WI) Post-Crescent: “The time has come for all of Congress to banish earmark spending from its legislation.  At least, that’s what the voters have said.” ( Editorial, 11/19/10) 
• Dallas Morning News: “Here’s a bit of good news for budget hawks.  Congress actually may be getting serious about restricting earmarks, spending measures that mysteriously turn up in bills for sometimes dubious projects.” (Editorial, 11/19/10) 

Republicans are listening to the people and standing firm on the need to take this and other critical steps to restore public trust.  Shortly after House Republicans adopted an earmark ban for the 112th Congress, Speaker-designate John Boehner said, “This earmark ban shows the American people we are listening and we are dead serious about ending business as usual in Washington.”  It’s now up to President Obama to prove his support for an earmark ban is serious, and not just post-election me-tooism designed to make up for nearly two years of runaway spending.   

Republicans are listening to the people and standing firm on the need to take this and other critical steps to restore public trust.  Shortly after House Republicans adopted an earmark ban for the 112th Congress, Speaker-designate John Boehner said, “This earmark ban shows the American people we are listening and we are dead serious about ending business as usual in Washington.”  It’s now up to President Obama to prove his support for an earmark ban is serious, and not just post-election me-tooism designed to make up for nearly two years of runaway spending.