House Democrat warns GOP on Earmarks

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Yahoo/AP

House Democrat warns GOP on Earmarks
By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer
11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Partisan sniping over Congress' targeted spending escalated Monday as a House committee chairman threatened to kill all pet projects if Republican leaders "demagogue" the issue.

The chairman, Wisconsin Democrat David Obey (news, bio, voting record), also said that his House Appropriations Committee will publicize proposed "earmarks" before House-Senate conferees resolve differences in the government's annual spending bills this fall. But Republicans said the offer falls far short of Democrats' January promise to disclose lawmakers' earmark requests before the bills reach the House floor, a process that begins this week.

The practice of placing earmarks in spending bills has expanded dramatically in recent years. Consequently, so has criticism of the sometimes questionable roads, museums, contracts and other projects that lawmakers seek for their districts.

When they assumed control of Congress in January, Democrats rewrote House rules to require that earmark requests — and the people who make them — be publicized while spending bills are being drafted and debated. But Obey earlier this month said such lists would not be available until the House had voted on the bills and readied them for a House-Senate committee for final negotiations.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070611/ap_on_go_co/congress_earmarks

[Kagemusha]

1. So what's Obey's justification for this approach?

Curious minds want to know.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Obey Outlines Earmark Procedures for Appropriations Bills

CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE
June 11, 2007 – 2:10 p.m.
Obey Outlines Earmark Procedures for Appropriations Bills

House Appropriations Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wis., today outlined how earmarks will be disclosed before conference, and warned that if Republicans “demagogue” the issue there might be no earmarks in the fiscal 2008 bills.

Obey also offered a detailed explanation for why the committee had not been able to vet all earmarks before subcommittee markups. Besides the Defense spending bill, the other measures — all slated for action this month — are not expected to include earmarks until conference. The military measure is not expected to go to the floor until July.

Obey’s approach has raised the ire of Republicans, who say Democrats are reneging on promises of increased transparency and accountability.

The chairman’s session with reporters came as the first appropriations bills are set to go to the floor and amid GOP criticism that Democrats are attempting to hide earmarks from the public.
(snip/...)

http://public.cq.com/docs/cqm/cqmidday110-000002529134.html