Got this from Citizens Against Government Waste:
Dear Representative,
The new House leadership promised to bring to Washington, the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history. The recent announcement by House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.) that earmarks will only appear in conference reports, and not in committee bills where they would be subject to challenges and amendments, shows that it is no longer business as usual in Washington it is far worse. Even the modest earmark reform passed in the 109th Congress that allowed members to challenge individual pork projects on the floor and require public disclosure of earmarks and their sponsors has been eviscerated.
Reforming the earmark process is NOT designing a procedure where members of Congress are denied the opportunity to debate the validity of an earmark and requesting a vote on whether it should remain in the legislation or not. Reforming the earmark process is NOT creating billion dollar ghost accounts where pork projects will be air-dropped in conference reports. Taxpayers have a right to understand where and how their tax dollars are being spent. In light of this, when you are considering the rules for each appropriations bill, a vote will be called to move the previous question. I ask that you vote no and allow earmark reform to be debated and voted on. By voting no, you will bring accountability to the earmark process. All votes on previous questions will be among the votes considered for CCAGWs 2007 Congressional Ratings.
Yeah buddy, I’m sure this will be all over CNN and MSNBC by tomorrow!
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Moonage Political Webdream on 06.14.2007
Paying for congressional families’ trips…
This one just boggles me.
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Moonage on 06.17.2007
Obey’s bill lost. I would assume in large part because they got outed and the backlash was rather nasty. It was a stupid move given the rhetoric that got them control in the first place.
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