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– CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS
Nov. 20, 2008 – 12:57 p.m.
House GOP Backs Away from Earmark Moratorium
By David Clarke and Alan K. Ota, CQ Staff
For the second year in a row, the House GOP caucus rejected an effort to limit its members’ requests for special projects, or earmarks, in this case a short-term moratorium.
The vote again exposed fissures among GOP conservatives and could undercut one of the party’s signature themes, limited government.
Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Eric Cantor of Virginia had unveiled late Wednesday a moratorium on GOP earmark requests through Feb. 16 while a new panel of Republicans comes up with proposals for permanent restrictions and disclosure requirements for earmarks
But Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, who is an appropriator, offered an amendment to strip the requirement for an earmark moratorium. And Tiahrt’s moratorium-killing proposal was approved by the full caucus, said several GOP aides. The amended rules package was then adopted.
Tiahrt has been a staunch defender of earmarks, and has been a rival of outgoing Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, one of the strongest proponents of a permanent earmark moratorium for all Republicans. Tiahrt lost a bitter head-to-head race against Hensarling for the chairmanship of the RSC at the start of the 110th Congress, and later opted to leave the conservative faction.
Boehner downplayed the conference’s decision to strip the moratorium language.
“I’m not sure the moratorium would have had that much impact,” he said.
He has been under fire from some conservatives for his stance supporting a permanent earmark moratorium for the caucus, but only in principle, while refusing to put a ban in place on grounds that it lacks consensus support.
The vote on Thursday offered support for Boehner’s contention that the permanent earmark moratorium demanded by Hensarling and his successor, Tom Price , of Georgia, who will be the RSC chairman in the 111th Congress, lacks sufficient support, for now, to become a tenet of the GOP platform
“We’ve been through this a few times,” said Boehner, referring to the ongoing debate over an earmark moratorium. “We’re going to let the...committee look at this issue and let them recommend to members,” Boehner said.
He said the committee would help sort out some of the issues surrounding earmarks for the conference.
“I just think we need to have a more formal approach to determining what is an earmark and what isn’t one and if there are going to be some earmarks what is the appropriate way to handle them that brings out transparency and accountability,” he said.
Growth in Earmarks Undercut GOP
House GOP Backs Away from Earmark Moratorium
Many conservatives believe the growth in earmarked spending projects during the years the GOP controlled Congress is one of the reasons they lost control of the House and Senate in 2006.
Conservative members of the caucus wanted a moratorium on GOP earmarks this past year but the conference was divided and no agreement on the issue was ever reached. Other Republicans did not want to go along with a moratorium if Democrats were not going to do the same. That divide appears to remain unresolved.
The moratorium that was stripped from the rules amendment Thursday was a modest proposal that would have lasted only a few months giving time for a 10-member committee to review the earmarking process. It is charged with reporting its findings to the conference by Feb. 16.
“The moratorium was basically ‘I just had breakfast and I’m going to declare an eating moratorium until lunch’ and that was still too much,” said Rep. Jeff Flake , R-Ariz., a leading critic of the earmarking process. Flake is seeking a seat on the House Appropriations Committee where he could further highlight his opposition to earmarks, which are generally considered funding carved out of spending bills for parochial projects in members’ districts or states. Earmarks can appear in authorizing and tax bills as well.
Flake said members voiced opposition to the moratorium because they felt it would prevent GOP lawmakers from being able to secure earmarks in an economic stimulus package expected to be voted on early next year.
As part of the caucus rules debate, House Republicans also voted to reject an amendment by John Linder of Georgia that would strengthened Boehner’s clout by authorizing him to appoint a chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The caucus currently votes to elect the NRCC chairman. Pete Sessions of Texas, a Boehner ally, was elected to succeed NRCC Chairman Tom Cole on Tuesday.
Comments
Good for Tihart. Hey Jeff FLAKE--how did Arizona, your state, get its water? Without that huge earmark, your voters wouldn't have water. Step up to the plate Flake, Ryan, Pence, Price, Hensarling and start talking about the budget--instead you are authorizing deficit spending year after year and stealing from social security. A balanced budget amendment and lockbox on social security would limit and downsize government, make it possible for businesses to stay in America, provide more personal freedom and solve the economic crisis. Flake and his like are just blowhards that make the news, the real work is being done by workhorses who use earmarks responsibly-.5 percent of the budget- for water, bridge repair, cleaning up meth labs, building levies. Go Tihart keep pushing for a balanced budget amendment and saving social security from the big spenders.
Legislators are lie alcoholics. They can't resist spending money and they can't resist growing the size of government as much as they know that they need to. http://ewebsmith.com/gov/notlistening.html
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