Report From Congress: 6/18/07

Letter

REPORT FROM CONGRESS: 6/18/07

WICKER APPLAUDS EARMARK REFORM AGREEMENT

Republicans in the House of Representatives scored a victory for good government last week when the Democratic majority was forced to abandon a plan that concealed Member-requested appropriations projects from public scrutiny and shielded them from Congressional action until too late in the legislative process.

The new agreement will ensure more transparency and accountability with these earmarked projects by identifying them before the House considers the legislation. It is also consistent with reforms enacted by the Republican majority in the last Congress, which required identification of every earmark and the Member who offered it. That process allowed any Member to challenge individual projects on the House floor, engage in a full debate, and request votes on each one in question.

DEMOCRATS REVERSED COURSE

Democrats promised to continue that policy of full disclosure in the earmark process in 2007. New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi listed it as a priority and said they would bring transparency and openness to the use of earmarks. But soon into the appropriations process, the Democrats reversed course in favor of a procedure that would have made it almost impossible for the American people to see how their tax dollars are spent, effectively trading earmark transparency for earmark secrecy.

Republicans strongly objected to the plan, under which these projects would not have been included in appropriations bills until after floor debate and passage in the House. The special projects were to be added in a closed-door session at the end of the legislative process with input from only a handful of Members. Such a policy, coming so late, would make it nearly impossible for critics of questionable projects to challenge them.

PRESS WAS CRITICAL

The national press was critical of the policy. CNN reported, "The Democrats promised reform, and it's not happening." The Associated Press said that after promising openness, House Democrats were "moving in the opposite direction...sidestepping rules approved their first day in power in January to clearly identify earmarks." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said it was a "slick maneuver that would keep earmarks hidden from public scrutiny until it's too late for spoilsport good-government types to raise a stink."

Under terms of the new arrangement, Democrats will include each project and the name of the Member who sponsored it in the remaining 10 appropriations bills to come before the House. It means we will be shining a bright spotlight on every request for taxpayer dollars and considering the merits of each project in an open and fair process before it is approved.

HOLD LINE ON SPENDING

While we made great progress on earmark reform, I have additional concerns about the higher level of funding proposed by the new Democratic majority. The appropriations bills heading to the House floor include increases to current services and new programs that exceed the budget submitted by President Bush by more than $23 billion. He will likely use the veto pen to hold the line on spending. I have pledged to help the President sustain those vetoes to produce a more responsible budget.

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