Content by John Boehner
Posted at 5:56pm on Sep. 13, 2006 Name the Earmarkers
RedState Welcomes the Majority Leader
By John Boehner
When campaigning for the post of Leader, Congressman John Boehner promised us earmark reform. Bloggers across the political spectrum have done tremendous work in support of the move to clean up the process - so there's no better place for Congressman Boehner to give an update on his efforts. We're glad to have him.
Last January, I warned of the need for action in Congress to combat the growing perception among Americans that their government is for sale. I singled out the ancient congressional practice of “earmarking,” which has allowed legislators to anonymously insert spending projects into bills without scrutiny or significant debate. I called for creation of new procedures by which worthy projects could be distinguished from worthless pork, so unworthy projects could be publicly identified, debated, and weeded out.
This week, the House of Representatives will vote on earmark reforms that would begin to establish such a system. First we’ll vote on bipartisan legislation championed in the House by Reps. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Tom Davis (R-VA) that would increase transparency by establishing a public database to track federal grants and contracts. Then we’ll vote on a proposal authored by Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) that would change House rules to reform the earmarking process itself.
Read on . . .