Congress has yet to make reducing federal spending a priority. With the recent release of an analysis of this year’s congressional earmarks in House appropriation bills, it can still be said that Washington loves to spend the taxpayers’ money.
Even with increased claims by several members of Congress — including
Speaker Nancy Pelosi — that they would fight for “responsible government spending,” earmarks and out-of-control spending have continued to rise.
Now more than ever, Congress needs to rein in its addictive pork-barrel splurging and swear off earmarks until a fair, transparent and fully reformed system is in place.
With food and gas costs at record highs, many Americans are struggling to make ends meet. The last thing they need is politicians wasting the tax dollars they send to Washington on special interest projects. America’s financially pinched middle class is forced to live within their means to ensure the bills are paid and food is on the table; why can’t Congress do the same?
Only 38 members of the House of Representatives — Democrat and Republican — have publicly sworn off earmarks for a one-year moratorium. While many more members talk the talk about the broken earmarks system, only 38 of 435 elected members of Congress care enough to actually do something about it.
As one of the members committed to not accepting earmarks this year, I know that this pledge is in the best interest of my constituents and our nation’s middle class. Responsible spending in Washington means more money in the pocketbooks of our taxpayers. It’s when our nation’s families are thriving that our economy does too.
The pork-fighting organization Citizens against Government Waste unveiled last week their preliminary analysis of six House appropriations bills. They found dramatic increases in wasteful spending, including more earmarks than last year’s count.
In the Financial Services appropriations bill alone, there was an 84 percent increase in the amount of taxpayer money spent from CAGW’s same calculation in 2007. Among other budget-bloating finds, they discovered a massive 122 percent increase in the dollar amount of Labor/Health and Human Services earmark requests. These increases are completely unacceptable.
This analysis by CAGW shows that even with the world watching and Congress supposedly paying close attention to earmarks, Congress adheres to no standards or restraint when it comes to spending other people’s money. Instead of using an earmark as a legitimate tool to accomplish constitutionally defined duties of the federal government, it’s just become another tool in Washington politics.
Some of these abusive earmarks include funds for the research of blue crabs, mapping the Hudson River and a micro-business incubator for a university. Although these projects might be important, they don’t supersede the need to control federal spending and give back to our nation’s taxpayers so that they can spend their money on their priorities.
Last year alone, Citizens against Government Waste identified a whopping 11,610 pork projects in fiscal bills. That’s over 11,000 projects funded from the pockets of our nation’s hardworking taxpayers. And our current congressional leadership shows no reluctance to raise taxes to cover their spending habit.
As a former tax litigation attorney, I know what high taxes can do to a family. My heart goes out to those Americans who are scraping everything together hoping to make it to their next pay day because our government can’t control its pork.
This does not have to be the case. Americans should not be expected to foot these bills. Members can stand up to the broken system and pledge not to give in. They can say “no” to the hidden incentives behind each project and give their word to their constituents and the American people that the family budget is a priority, not the federal one.
You can bet that I will continue to the fight to reform this dysfunctional system and stand by my pledge to swear off earmarks this year. It’s clear that the status quo isn’t working. Washington’s addictive spending mentality is breaking the backs of our nation’s middle class, and something must be done now. Congress needs to start respecting the American taxpayers and deliver the much-needed relief they deserve.
Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann represents the 6th congressional district of Minnesota.
