Many politicians argue that earmarks don’t cost the federal government very much. They say that if you take away earmarks, you are not lowering the cost of appropriations bills. They argue that you are merely transferring authority to fund waste from the legislative branch to the executive branch of the federal government. This argument is bunk.
What do you call the Senate’s Omnibus Spending Bill? An Earmark Bonanza — An Earmark-A-Thon — The Earmark-bus. Clearly, this bill is an outrage to the taxpayer and conservative Senators. The Senate is about to vote on an Omnibus Spending Bill funding the federal government for the year. House and Senate appropriators crafted a bill in secret and, just yesterday, provided text to Senators and the American people. | Read More »
The Senate has released an omnibus appropriations bill that blows the lid off spending. They waited until the last possible minute to put it out for review. It is 1,924 pages long, filled with earmarks, and goes so far as to declare Nevada a Pacific Coast state so it can get in on a few million dollars to protect salmon. The Democrats have also put | Read More »
Senate Democrats unveiled earlier this afternoon a 1,924-page omnibus spending bill to fund the government through fiscal year 2011. Aides to GOP legislators on Capitol Hill have already begun poring over the $1.1 trillion package, describing the proposal as “a total mess” to Fox News. Republican lawmakers — including those in the lower chamber, like Speaker-elect John Boehner — are already vowing to help kill | Read More »
Senator Mitch McConnell has sent out an email with talking points from Americans for Tax Reform on why “tax extenders” are not earmarks. But it is all nonsense. How do we know? Well, just look at Senate Rule XLIV, which deals with earmarks and lists not just spending items as an earmark, but also “limited tax benefits” and “limited tariff benefits.” Look, I realize ATR | Read More »
There is no daylight between my position and Speaker-designate John Boehner on earmarks. Period. I have repeatedly said that I agree with, applaud, and wholeheartedly support Speaker-designate John Boehner’s position on earmarks. I am opposed to earmarks. I recently made that point to a reporter from a Capitol Hill newspaper, but it was left out of their story on the GOP and earmarks. Some media | Read More »
[promoted from the diaries by haystack because...well, you figure it out] Note: This op-ed appeared in the Greenville News of Greenville, South Carolina on Monday, November 15, 2010. We are fighting two wars overseas. We are in the middle of an entitlement crisis that could bankrupt this country. The national debt is simply out of control. And your elected leaders voted to spend $500,000 of | Read More »
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 »
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 »
Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is offering an resolution next Tuesday during the first meeting of Senators serving in the 102nd Congress. The DeMint Resolution would be a statement that the Senate Republican Conference will not take earmarks for the next two years. RedState readers could be the difference between this resolution passing or failing. Consider this your call to action. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) is opposing | Read More »
This is truly appalling. Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republicans, supported an earmarks ban and voted to ban earmarks. But he knew there weren’t enough votes for it. Now that it looks like there are enough votes, McConnell is lobbying furiously behind the scenes to kill the earmarks ban. But the man has trumped himself in rank hypocrisy. According to President George W. | Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
I suppose being the front-runner in a campaign is a double-edged sword; most folks have likely heard of you before, but everyone behind you is gunning for you. In Frank Guinta’s case he also has a paper trail as the former Mayor of Manchester that he just can’t seem to run away from fast enough. Now, for the record, if he clears New Hampshire’s September | Read More »
![[RS]](/t/img/logo-footer.jpg){kind=logo}