That amendment requiring the Pentagon to publish an annual report grading anonymous earmarks inserted by Members of Congress into defense spending bills was defeated in the House this afternoon on a 330-70 vote. The vote is among the last official acts of the Republican majority in the House and ends an effort in the departing Congress to force Members to put their names on earmarks they sponsor. Earmarks direct executive departments and agencies to spend tax dollars on projects without competitive bidding or other normal processes designed to prevent waste, fraud and corruption. Now-former Rep. Randy Cunningham, R-CA, pled guilty earlier this year to multiple counts of accepting bribes from a defense contractor in return for earmarks in military spending bills. The number and total value of such earmarks exploded in the last five years from a few hundred annually to more than 15,000 last year. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, who has been the chief GOP critic of earmarks, calls them “the gateway drug” to excessive federal spending. The illustration that accompanies this post is from the evidence presented against Cunningham. The numbers in the right column represent the amount (in thousands of dollars) of the bribes given to Cunningham in return for the amounts (in millions of dollars) of earmarks listed in the left column. The 140 notation refers to the $140,000 Cunningham had agreed to pay for a yacht he bought, with financing provided by one of the contractors bribing him. If ever there were an illustration of the importance of forcing Members of Congress to put their names on the earmarks they sponsor, this list from Cunningham’s wheeling and dealing surely is the most vivid. Here’s the official roll call on the vote: FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 535 (Republicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independents underlined) H R 6375 2/3 YEA-AND-NAY 8-Dec-2006 4:02 PM QUESTION: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass BILL TITLE: Requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress an annual report and to provide notice to the public on congressional initiatives in funds authorized or made available to the Department of Defense.
| Yeas | Nays | Pres | NV | |
| Repbulican | 68 | 140 | 21 | |
| Democratic | 2 | 189 | 11 | |
| Independent | 1 | |||
| Totals | 70 | 330 | 1 | 32 |
| YEAS 70 | NAYS 330 | NV 32 |
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