Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) reacted with disappointment to reports that during his State of the Union address this evening, President Bush will announce his intention to issue an executive order which would require the appropriators in Congress to reduce congressional earmarks by half from 2008 levels and advise executive branch agencies to ignore any fiscal year 2009 funding for earmarks not contained in the legislative text of the spending bills.
CAGW and other fiscal watchdogs have been calling on the President to issue an executive order to cover the 11,000 pork projects worth $14 billion contained in the 2008 appropriations bills. Since his plan is prospective, the executive order could easily be skirted by appropriators during the next budget cycle, who can simply insert a line to give the earmarks contained in the accompanying reports the force of law but which still puts them off limits to budget cutters who would attempt to strip them from the bills during the floor debate. It could also be repealed by the next President of the United States. The President has threatened to veto any future appropriations bill that does not reflect his order to cut the number and cost of earmarks by another 50 percent from 2008 levels.
“President Bush has tried to get earmarks under control, and deserves credit for doing something that no other President has done – establishing restrictions on earmarks in future appropriations bills. Unfortunately, he could not resist the fiscal snake oil peddled by pork-barreling members of Congress, particularly Senate Republicans,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.
“The President’s press secretary said this morning that the President had asked Congress to voluntarily cut the number and cost of earmarks in half, and that is why he did not issue an executive order on the fiscal 2008 bills. But that would have sent a strong message to Congress on wasteful spending. Instead, appropriators will continue their wasteful ways and direct scarce tax dollars to their own interests. CAGW is waiting breathlessly for the first member of the Appropriations Committees to offer to give up their earmarks to help pay for the $150 billion fiscal stimulus package,” Schatz continued.
CAGW also took note of the efforts by House Republicans to impose a moratorium on earmarks while a bipartisan panel is established to reform the process. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a challenge to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to agree to the moratorium. The Republicans’ proposal on earmarks reflects some of the 10 points of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste’s Earmark Reform Pledge that has been sent to all members of Congress.
“Beyond the earmark reform pledge, there is a growing number of House Republicans who have renounced earmarks,” said Schatz. “Many of them are part of the Reagan21 Coalition, and taxpayers should take note of their bold efforts to lead the effort to restore fiscal responsibility.”
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.