We’ve chronicled before the Democratic retreat on promises to limit and fully disclose the lists of pork-barrel projects included in appropriations bills. Now House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey has clarified that even though pork-barrel projects won’t be added to bills until immediately before they are voted on, Members will be given ‘plenty of time’ to review them before a vote. If one or more of those projects is a particularly egregious waste of taxpayer money… well, too bad. Because you still won’t be able to eliminate them–or even get a vote on them:
How will such criticisms be handled? Well, you can’t be too optimistic when you realize that you’re writing to a Chairman who has previously argued that an earmark isn’t an earmark if it’s put in the bill by him.
