Lawmakers' taste for pork returns to Capitol Hill

Lawmakers' taste for pork returns to Capitol Hill
Lawmakers' taste for pork returns to Capitol Hill
Stephen Dinan (Contact)
Monday, February 23, 2009

* Comment
* Print
* Font Size
* Share
* Got a Question?
* You Report
* Click-2-Listen

Buzz up!

Pork is back on the menu and the appetite is growing on Capitol Hill, where the number of lawmakers voluntarily swearing off earmarks for pet projects has fallen by nearly half compared with last year.

Just 17 of the 41 House members who promised not to request earmarks last year have made the same pledge this year, according to a survey of all congressional offices by the fiscal conservative action group Club for Growth. The holdouts include some top Republican leaders and all five House Democrats who had forsworn earmarks last year.

Just as telling, only six new lawmakers out of 63 that took office this year have said they will forgo earmarks, despite many of those freshmen having run on promises of restoring fiscal responsibility.

Despite expressing disgust for earmarks and pledging not to request them last year, Rep. Jackie Speier, California Democrat, is going her own direction this year.

“She has formed a Citizens Oversight Panel made up of people from across the 12th District and representing different political views to review appropriations requests in public forums and pass their recommendations on to her,” said her spokesman, Mike Larsen. “It is her hope to expand this process to all congressional districts to provide accountability to the appropriations process.”

Other House members said they're not sure whether they'll sign again this year.

“It's still under discussion,” said Anne Lupardus, spokeswoman for Rep. Ron Kind, Wisconsin Democrat.

Andrew Roth, government affairs director for the Club for Growth, compiled the club's survey of who's sworn off earmarks by soliciting each congressional office. He also scours reports to see whether members of Congress have issued press releases or told local reporters they have sworn off earmarks.

Mr. Roth said that while this year's list is smaller than 2008, it's still better than a few years ago when “you could count all the anti-earmarkers on one hand.”

“I expect more members to join the list once the budget becomes a central focus of Congress, because then the debate about earmarks will heat up again and there will be a political motive to get on this list,” he said.
Continues 1 2 3 Next
[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC