House Republicans & Taxpayer Groups Rally for Stronger Earmark Reforms
By Congressman John Boehner Posted in Congress — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
House Republicans joined forces this afternoon with Americans for Prosperity, National Taxpayers Union, and Citizens Against Government Waste for a great rally in support of stronger earmark reforms. [UPDATED: For photos of this event, click here.]
The latest survey by The Winston Group, a DC-based firm, shows the American people overwhelmingly support the House Republican position on earmark reform. The survey, taken last week with 1,000 registered voters, shows an incredible 78 percent of Americans believe Congress should require ALL taxpayer-funded earmarks to be publicly disclosed and debated before they become law, even if it would cause significant delays in passing important bills.
That’s exactly what we’re fighting for and it’s exactly what top Democrats are blocking. Rep. Jack Murtha (D-PA) even told a reporter “tough [expletive]” when asked whether taxpayers had the right to expect real transparency and accountability in how Congress spends their money.
Read on . . .
Mr. Murtha in particular has become a poster child for earmark abuse this year, most notably for threatening Republicans on the House floor (see video) for exposing a $23 million earmark to a facility located in Mr. Murtha's district… a facility that was declared "expensive and duplicative" by independent government analysts.
Roll Call blew the whistle on another Democrat, Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN), for using earmarks to fund a startup that benefits “five clients of the PMA Group, the lobbying firm that has emerged in recent years as Visclosky’s top political benefactor.” And Majority AP revealed that Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) steered more than $11 million in taxpayer funds to a start-up company involved with his nephew. You can see more examples here in this video.
The Democrats aren’t going to get a pass on this issue. As of this writing, 196 House Republicans (and ZERO House Democrats) have signed what’s called a “discharge petition” to force a vote on legislation (H.R. 479) making all earmark requests public and debatable, no matter what kind of bill they’re attached to. The Winston survey shows that by pressuring their members not to sign the discharge petition, Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Emanuel and others are brazenly defying the will of the American people.
The heat is on, and we’re going to keep pushing until we have 218 signatures – the number we need to force a vote.
As I’ve said before, earmark abuse is just one symptom of a Washington culture that allows – if not encourages – wasteful spending. And it’s been a bipartisan problem. I wrote in the Wall Street Journal last week, “Years of irresponsible earmarks, slipped into bills behind closed doors without public debate or scrutiny, eroded Republicans' reputation as the party of fiscal responsibility and trustworthy custodians of taxpayer funds.” House Republicans took note, and as we work to earn back the majority we are working to stop the waste.
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
This is a fight the GOP can win. We'll back you every way possible. Just make sure you guys clean up the GOP house when it comes to earmarks.
It's war -- so when can we start shooting back at the enemy Democrats?
This is what we want from our representatives. Thank you.
The Republican Party is so stymied by its vast closeted homosexual wing and diaper-wearing sexual deviants like David Vitter that they will never be the "Family Values" party again. Make Rudy Giuliani ("I have 9/11 embroidered on my french-cut panties") your nominee, and you're looking at eight more properous Clinton years.
Life sucks for the party trying to destroy real American values.
that you fulfilled your daily liberal duty to SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!!1!!11!™.
Blam.
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This kind of liberty is, indeed, but another name for justice; ascertained by wise laws, and secured by well-constructed institutions.
-Edmund Burke
...for months before letting it out. I swear to God, I'll never understand gay-hating bigots.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Would you puh-leez KICK B*** and NAME NAMES on this. In the opinion of this humble taxpayer, the malfeasance of our government is beyond description and needs to be exposed and stopped. FWIW, I'll be watching.
“Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; is the second, then you are an oasis in a desert.”
Kahlil Gibran
1) Why is it that when thousands of people gather to protest the Iraq War, it is just a bunch of dirty hippies that need to get jobs but when a couple of hundred people gather to protest earmarks it is indicative that something needs to become a major legislative priority?
2) Why is it that the number of earmarks almost tripled between 2000 and 2005, while Republicans were in power?
3) Why is it that Republicans didn't pass earmark reform when they were in power and are only now complaining that the earmark reform that Democrats passed isn't good enough?
I actually would like to see better earmark reforms passed, but I have no idea why you would expect Congressional Democrats to negotiate in good faith when all you've done is play partisan politics. Your party did absolutely nothing on this issue while you had the chance and, now that the Democrats actually have done something about it, your only response has been to attack them for not doing enough.
1. Because it's true. People whose time is valuable make more of a statement when they gather, while people whose time would otherwise be spent on drugs is worthless when spent waving signs for the lefty cause of themoment (plus the standbys of Down with Zionism, Down with Capitalism, and Up with Promiscuity).
2. Because our members serve constituents better with targetted spending. Your buffoons either can't accomplish anything at all, or go around creating ridiculous bureaucratic monsters of socialism.
3. Because your guys pass bad stuff.
4. Are you honestly coming in here and trying to lecture us on how the Most Ethical Congress Ever is right to legislate in bad faith? You're really saying this, openly here, as an attempted defense?
Ha ha ha ha haaaa ha. Ha ha ha ha haa ha. *points and laughs*
Great response Neil.
1. Because it's true. People whose time is valuable make more of a statement when they gather, while people whose time would otherwise be spent on drugs is worthless when spent waving signs for the lefty cause of themoment (plus the standbys of Down with Zionism, Down with Capitalism, and Up with Promiscuity).
QFE
absentee
1) Oh, the people at the earmark protest had jobs? Did you request proof from each person in attendance? Until you can prove it, I see no reason to accept your assertion that the time of earmark protesters is more valuable than the time of war protesters.
2) "Everything we do is good. Everything they do is bad." Huh. Expand that another 1 minute and 55 seconds and you are good to go.
3) As opposed to the nothing that you guys passed?
4) Reading comprehension much? What I said is that Democrats have no reason to work with Republicans in good faith, which does necessarily mean that they are working with them in bad faith. It could just as easily mean that they aren't working with them at all. Which is what they are doing here.
Point and laugh all you want, but the entire Republican argument here boils down to Even though we did nothing, we are going to attack the Democrats for doing something.
and the Republicans who haven't signed off on this are:
Shelley Moore Capito West Virginia 2
Barbara Cubin Wyoming At Large
Jo Ann Davis Virginia 1
Bobby Jindal Louisiana 1
Mike Rogers Alabama 3
So for those interested, might be time to make some calls.
That's a John Murtha quote. Why am I not surprised?
www.win-the-war.com.