The Progess Report

November 16, 2007

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, and Ali Frick Contact Us | Tell-a-Friend | Archives | Permalink

ETHICS

Conservative 'War Over Earmarks' Backfires

Congressional conservatives announced earlier this month that they had mapped out a plan to engage in a "war over earmarks" with the majority in Congress by targeting "certain earmarks" deemed "egregious" and "wasteful" to attack spending priorities. This "war over earmarks" coincides with President Bush's strategy to veto nearly all appropriations bills passed by Congress. But as Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Scott Lilly notes, "No one with any recollection of the performance of Congress over the past decade can have any doubt that earmarking exploded during that period" and "that the practice became most egregious after George W. Bush moved into the Oval office." When former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) placed earmarks in the transportation bill to turn a profit on his personal property, Bush applauded. When former Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) tried to secure funding for a "bridge to nowhere," Bush said nothing. Now the new majority in Congress is beginning to repair the damage. An analysis by Citizens Against Government Waste estimates that earmarks in FY08 appropriations bills are "down about 33 percent from the $29 billion in earmarks in FY06 spending bills." (See a graphic here.) "While asserting that more progress hacking earmarks off of spending bills must be made, Citizens Against Government Waste Vice President David Williams said there was credit to go around on Capitol Hill for the reduction that has occurred." At a time when Congress is cutting into earmark practices, Bush and his congressional allies have opted to play disingenuous political games, in hopes of making the American public forget conservatives' long tenure of fiscal irresponsibility.

FIRST SHOT GOES ASTRAY: One of the first battles in the "war over earmarks" was a coordinated effort by conservatives to attack a provision sponsored by Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC). The earmark provided funding for a program "that uses golf to 'teach life lessons' to low-income kids," specifically "children of servicemembers all over the nation." In two days, the right wing coordinated an assault on Clyburn, calling the funding provision an "extremely disturbing" example of wasteful spending. Unmentioned by Clyburn's critics, however, was the fact that the program had been heavily praised by conservatives like Rep. Howard 'Buck' McKeon (R-CA), who organized a hearing to attest to the program's virtues. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) delivered official testimony in support of the program, calling it a valuable "youth character building" program. After combing through all the earmarks in search of one that could best highlight "egregious" and "wasteful" spending, the conservatives' first shot in their new war misfired.

BUSH'S SELECTIVE ANGER: Earlier this week, Bush used his sixth-ever veto to squash "a measure to fund education, job training and health programs" because, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, the bill contained "extra spending." Bush said, "The majority was elected on a pledge of fiscal responsibility, but so far it's acting like a teenager with a new credit card." While Bush was trying to cast the majority in Congress as "acting like drunken sailors with federal tax dollars," he failed to take notice of who placed the largest earmarks in the bill he vetoed: Sens. Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Congressional Quarterly reported, "The single biggest earmark in the Labor-HHS-Education section of the bill belongs to Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., who won $9.3 million for the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The second-largest was requested by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- $8.4 million for the University of Louisville Research Foundation." If Bush were serious about restraining spending and cutting earmarks, he would take on McConnell and Shelby, but he has yet to do so.

BUSH'S OWN EARMARKS: While Bush is busy assailing Congress for earmarks, The Examiner noted an inconvenient fact for the White House. "Presidents, including Bush, play the earmark game, too. Bush stuffs his budget with billions for pet projects very much like the ones he attacks when they originate on Capitol Hill." Bush placed 580 earmarks worth $15.6 billion in a recent military and veterans appropriations request, along with "billions" in the energy and water spending bill. Some examples of Bush's earmarks: $24 million for the Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program and $8.9 million for the Points of Light foundation, a pet project started by his dad. The Wall Street Journal reports that the conservatives' "newfound fascination" with attacking Congress' spending stems from a simple reality: "They suffered badly over the issue in 2006." And yet the only thing that has changed is their rhetoric, not their behavior.