House Republicans are challenging President Obama to veto any end-of-year spending bill that includes earmarks — a move that will test Obama’s commitment to halting pork-barrel politics.
In a letter to the White House organized by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a group of 67 Republicans, including Speaker-elect John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor (R-Va.), made the request to Obama today.
“Signing a year-end funding bill chocked full of unvetted Members’ pet projects likely worth millions if not billions of dollars will only undermine the trust and confidence of the taxpayers,” the Republicans write. “We urge you to send a clear message back to taxpayers by vetoing any Fiscal Year 2011 spending legislation that contains earmarks.”
The House narrowly approved a $1.1 trillion spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, on Wednesday by a 212-206 vote. The Senate could convert that measure into an omnibus spending bill choke full of earmarks.
Last month Republicans in both the House and Senate decided to forgo earmarks in the 112th Congress. But with that moratorium still weeks away, an omnibus might represent the last opportunity for pork-addicted members to bring home the bacon.
Obama has said he wants to put the practice to an end.
“I agree with those Republican and Democratic members of Congress who’ve recently said that in these challenging days, we can’t afford what are called earmarks,” Obama said on Nov. 13.
If a spending bill arrives on Obama’s desk with earmarks, he’ll have an opportunity to prove he is willing to do something about it — or at least that is the test he is facing from Republicans.
