By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 17th at 10:00 AM  | 

The Senate Republican Conference voted to ban earmarks yesterday.  A victory for conservatives — Hold on a second.  Moments after the announcement some Republicans stated that they would publicly flout the rule and Democrats pledged to fight to protect bloated pork barrel spending.  Although the President has pledged his opposition to earmarking, the true test may come soon if Congress sends him an Omnibus spending | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 16th at 10:00 PM  | 

Donald Berwick, temporary Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will testify tomorrow before the Senate Finance Committee.  This will be the first opportunity for Senators to question this controversial figure.  President Obama used his power of the recess appointment to place Berwick into the CMS position without action by the United States Senate.  This will be a great opportunity for members | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 16th at 11:00 AM  | 

Not much happening in the House and Senate today.  Both parties are conducing elections for leadership positions and amendments to conference rules.  It appears as if Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has won his battle for the Senate Republican Conference to take a 2 year break from earmarking. The House has 6 bills scheduled for a vote on the Suspension Calendar.  The Senate is out of | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 15th at 01:00 PM  | 

Congress is back in session in what is referred to as the Lame Duck session.  Lame Duck refers to the fact that a great number of Members of Congress have been retired, either voluntarily or involuntarily, yet they can vote on legislation and nominations.  Congress has not completed work on one of the 12 spending bills to keep the government running into next year and | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 14th at 12:00 PM  | 

One interest group is very upset about Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) plan to force a vote in the Senate Republican Conference for a two year earmark moratorium — Lobbyists.  According to The Hill, the lobbying group that represents lobbyists are very angry and worried that the easy money days of earmarking for dollars is over.  Yes, even lobbyists have lobbyist in Washington, D.C. The head of the American | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 11th at 07:00 PM  | 

Next Tuesday, the Senate Republican Conference will vote on Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) amendment to the conference rules to ban earmarks for two years.  Some Senators are saying that they are going to hold their powder dry until they look at all the options on the table at the Conference next week. That is not what the rules of the Republican Conference envision and allow.  All amendments to the rules must be shared a week | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 10th at 07:00 PM  | 

President Obama is sitting over at the White House praying that Republican Leadership in the Senate defeats Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) earmark ban.  Remember when Republicans were hit hard for voting against the Stimulus Plan, then some of them sent letters to the Obama Administration requesting projects?  The current earmark debate is turning into a similar political trap and some Senate Republicans are falling for it hook, line and sinker. This debate | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 9th at 07:00 PM  | 

Americans are hearing the talking point that earmarks don’t cost the taxpayers any money.  This simply is not true.  Citizens Against Government Waste, a Congressional watchdog group, has put out a report on wasteful projects from Fiscal Year 2010.  They identify $16.5 billion in pork. The Congressional Pig Book is CAGW’s annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget. The 2010 Pig Book | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 8th at 11:00 PM  | 

The greatest threat to conservatives in the Lame Duck Congress is a tax increase.  The President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is expected to issue a report on December 1st.  Conservatives should be very worried that this commission will advocate tax increases as a means to balance the budget. There is also a plan to decouple the Bush Tax cuts to make it easier | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  November 6th at 09:00 AM  | 

It didn’t take long for many in Congress to ignore the will of the American people on earmarking special projects for states and districts.  The Tea Party movement has a long way to convince members of both parties that the corrupting and wasteful practice of earmarking has to end.  Later this month, Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are expected to | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 29th at 10:00 AM  | 

Senator Tom Coburn (R-O K) put out a report this morning titled “Federal Programs to Die for: American Tax Dollars Send Six Feet Under” showing rampant waste, fraud and abuse in government programs.  This report has put together programs totalling $1 billion in federal monies given to the dead.  For those to say that cutting waste, fraud and abuse is an empty slogan, this report shows that stopping checks to the dead is a | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 28th at 02:00 AM  | 

President Obama was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night and attacked the filibuster not once, but twice.  It is funny that the President was one of many liberal Democrat Senators who fought to protect the filibuster in 2005. The filibuster is contained in the Senate Rules (Rule 22) and merely protects the right of extended debate by Senators before a final vote | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 27th at 12:00 PM  | 

For a great example of how federal regulators have too much power, see the case J. Dudley Butler v. American Cattle and Beef Industry.  This is not a real case, but it is a real controversy and battle between the industry and Butler, the individual at the U.S. Department of Agriculture tasked with overseeing regulations on grain, packers and stockyards.  This is a classic case | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 20th at 10:00 PM  | 

Our own Erick Erickson was interviewed by The Heritage Foundation (my employer) “In the Green Room.”  Erickson was at Heritage to promote his new book Red State Uprising:  How to Take Back America.  He talked about the Tea Party movement, earmarks and the bi-partisan problem of out of control government spending with Rob Bluey, Heritage’s Director of the Center for Media and Public Policy.  Watch then discuss. | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 16th at 10:00 AM  | 

Remember when Glenn Beck interviewed John Stossel of FOX about his free golf cart?  I am hearing from friends that they know people who have bought a golf cart for free – you paid for it.  That is the President’s idea of Stimulus.   This would be funny but for the fact that you and I are paying for golf carts for others in the | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 14th at 11:30 PM  | 

Tonight was the big Nevada Senate debate between Republican Sharron Angle and Democrat Incumbent Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Las Vegas.  Mitch Fox of PBS, the debate moderator, asked Reid a very specific question.  Reid gave a very misleading answer.

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 13th at 03:00 PM  | 

Taxpayers are against earmarks because they waste money and corrupt the political process.  It is that simple. House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) authored an excellent Op Ed in Politico attacking earmarks.  Cantor writes today that in March Republicans imposed an earmark moratorium for this Congress — a moratorium that expires on January 3, 2011.  Cantor is showing some leadership by calling for the elimination | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 9th at 07:00 PM  | 

The federal government is considering measures to pressure states to ban hands-free cell phone use by drivers.  This is an over reaction to the problem of distracted driving.   Bloomberg reports that officials of the U.S. Department of Transportation are working on a plan to ban all cell phone use by drivers of cars, including hands-free technology. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he believes motorists are distracted | Read More »

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 7th at 06:00 PM  | 

The White House released a video defending President Obama’s tax hike plan featuring Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, Austan Goolsbee.  My employer, The Heritage Foundation, has fact checked  the video and responded to many White House myths with our own analysis. 

By: Brian Darling (Diary)  |  October 4th at 12:00 PM  | 

I have written an Op Ed for Human Events titled the “Do-Nothing-Good-Congress.”  A Human Events commenter made an excellent point.  square root writes: Truman’s “do-nothing” Congress was the sole Republican Congress from 1928 to 1953. All Republicans could do in that ONE term, was stand against Truman’s liberal agenda and hold firm for the people they were sent to serve. Republicans had the numbers to | Read More »