Congress is headed for a lame duck session after the election and likely will have to consolidate spending bills, lobbyists on K Street tell The Examiner, a situation Congressional watchdogs say enables even more earmarks to be slipped into funding bills.
The shortened congressional session and backlog of spending bills is creating an environment where earmarks are easier to add, just at the time the fervor for ethics reform that might have helped control earmarks has cooled.
Lobbyists who spoke to The Examiner agreed members will have to return after the election to wrap up its work. Members have just seven to eight weeks left before the election recess — and the congressional leadership is reportedly thinking of shaving another week off to allow members more time to campaign.
Congress is also seriously behind on the work needed to pass the fiscal year 2007 budget. Though the House has voted on most of its appropriations bills, the Senate has not voted on a single one — and several Senate bills have yet to be voted on by committee. It is unlikely that the work will be completed before the election and quite likely that
legislation funding several agencies will be combined into a big omnibus bill — throwing open the door to more earmarks!
“You are putting a number of bills together at one time and you are not necessarily restricted to a particular subject matter,” explained Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste. With more time, people involved and a larger bill there is more opportunity to quietly insert spending that aids supporters and constituents.
“Omnibus bills are purgatory for taxpayers,” said Keith Ashdown, vice president for policy and communications for Taxpayers for Common Sense. “It’s the time of year that a lot of lawmakers know that they can … almost get way with anything and everything.”
There are only a handful of members who won’t trade like that, Ashdown said. “The general rule is the closer we get to Christmas, the bigger … the gifts get for the special interests.”
