Jim's Blog
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March 22, 2010
DeMint Discusses America's Unsustainable Federal Deficits
In an interview with AIM.org (Accuracy in Media), Sen. DeMInt explains why excessive federal deficits coupled with government expansion are a recipe for disaster. He addresses earmarks and how abstaining from earmarks is a step toward responsible government.
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March 11, 2010
DeMint: Democrats Are Weaseling Out on Earmarks
[Cross-posted earlier this morning at RedState.com]
It was good news to hear that House Democrats had adopted a ban on earmarks to for-profit companies. The bad news is their version of a ban wouldn’t apply to 90 percent of all earmarks.
Instead of adopting an all-out ban on earmarks House Democrats have decided to ban earmarks for for-profit entities, while continuing to green light funding for the next Bridge to Nowhere, ACORN or to clear the way for the Napa Valley Wine train.
House Appropriations Chairman Rep. David Obey told reporters Wednesday the ban would have stripped 1,000 earmarks from the last budget. What he didn’t say is that President Obama signed 11,320 earmarks, worth nearly $32 billion, into law last year.
Citizens Against Government Waste found that Mr. Obey nabbed 64 earmarks worth more than $115 million in 2009. Among them was $335,000 to relocate endangered mussels, $125,000 for a scenic trail and $5 million for lighthouse reconstruction. None of those earmarks would be touched by his ban.
Neither would the $1,750,000 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, secured for the Presidio Heritage Center or the $500,000 earmarked by House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, for oyster research.
The truth is that Democrats want the public to believe they’re committed to ending the culture of corruption without actually doing it.
Nothing less than an all-out ban on earmarks will suffice. A partial ban on earmarks will only produce partial reform...
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March 10, 2010
Will Congress Finally Ban Earmarks?
Within the last 48 hours or so, news reports are circulating with all kinds of encouraging headlines for those who have been spent years fighting for real reform with regards to wasteful pork projects:
"Flake Seeks GOP Earmark Moratorium" -- Roll Call
"DeMint Wants to Force Senate Vote on Pelosi Earmark Ban" -- Roll Call
"Boehner asks for meeting on earmark moratorium" -- The Hill
"House GOP to Meet Thursday on Earmark Ban -- Roll Call
"House Democrats ban earmarks for private contractors" -- Washington Post
"Both Parties Pursue New Earmark Limits" -- CQ Politics
Will Congress finally ban earmarks? Nothing is set in stone but it looks like Congress is closer than ever to finally putting a stop to its addiction to pork -- at least through the end of this year.
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March 9, 2010
FOX: DeMint Discusses Plan to Force Earmark Ban Vote
Sen. DeMint discusses his plan to force a vote on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) one-year earmark ban in the Senate with FOX News' Neil Cavuto:
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March 9, 2010
RC: DeMint Wants to Force Senate Vote on Pelosi Earmark Ban
Roll Call reports:Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) on Monday announced he would try to force a Senate vote on a one-year earmark ban being floated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders.
Pelosi floated the idea of enacting a one-year moratorium on earmarks during a leadership meeting Tuesday. Pelosi and other top Democrats have resisted similar proposals in the past. The idea comes as Democrats try to move beyond some recent ethical scandals in a critical election year.
Senate sources say it’s likely DeMint will offer a motion to suspend the rules during the end of the debate on the jobs package currently before the Senate.
“Nancy Pelosi and I don’t agree on many things, but if she’s willing to take a stand for taxpayers, I’ll work with her to put an end to the earmark favor factory,” DeMint said. “The Senate will have the opportunity this week to stand with Americans and put a stop to this wasteful spending. Our nation is drowning in debt that will be paid by our children, and we’ll never stop Washington’s spending addiction unless members of both parties take bold action.”
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March 4, 2010
FOX: DeMint on Obama's Reconciliation Strategy to Take Over Health Care
Sen. DeMint goes "On the Record With Greta" Van Susteren of FOX News to discuss President Obama's latest speech about forcing the passage of his health care takeover plan through reconciliation
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March 4, 2010
WSJ: President Being Dishonest About True Costs of ObamaCare
Today the editors of the Wall Street Journal criticize President Obama for lacking "fiscal honesty" in explaining his health care takeover plan to the American public yesterday:At his press conference yesterday, Mr. Obama claimed that "my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for millions—families, businesses and the federal government." He said it is "fully paid for" and "brings down our deficit by up to $1 trillion over the next two decades." Never before has a vast new entitlement been sold on the basis of fiscal responsibility, and one reason ObamaCare is so unpopular is that Americans understand the contradiction between untold new government subsidies and claims of spending restraint. They know a Big Con when they hear one.
Mr. Obama's fiscal assertions are possible only because of the fraudulent accounting and budget gimmicks that Democrats spent months calibrating...
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March 2, 2010
DeMint Commends Bunning for Courageous Objection
Sen. DeMint commends Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) for his courage in standing up for American taxpayers and objecting to passing a $10 billion bill without first finding a way to pay for it instead of adding more to the national debt:
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March 2, 2010
Bunning Stands Up for Taxpayers
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) has been standing up for taxpayers over this past week by demanding Democrats come up with a way to offset the $10 BILLION it will cost this month to extend several government programs, including unemployment benefits. Bunning has made it clear that he supports the bill. He simply wants it to be paid for without adding to the national debt. He simply wants members of Congress to live up to their PAYGO promise.
The Foundry explains: "A month ago, Congress passed something called pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting when they increased the the statutory limit of allowable national debt to $14.29 trillion, a $1.9 trillion increase. The current PAYGO rules are loaded with exceptions and loopholes, yet many saw the new PAYGO rules as a step in the right direction to restrain some out of control spending. The problem is that Congress seems to waive the PAYGO rule rather than offset one cent of new spending."
Watch Bunning in action:
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February 4, 2010
Senate Republicans Support Earmark Moratorium, Balanced Budget Amendment
This morning Sen. DeMint was joined by several of his Republican colleagues to announce support for a one-year earmark moratorium and a Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment.
The list of cosponsors goes as follows:
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina)
Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma)
Sen. George LeMieux (R-Florida)
Sen. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina),
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nevada)
Earmark Moratorium:
If passed, the earmark moratorium would prohibit the Senate from considering any legislation that contains earmarks (as defined in Rule 44 of the Standing Rules of the Senate). The Senate could waive the moratorium with a two-thirds majority...