In a marked departure from pork-barrel House tradition, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, says he has decided to forgo seeking appropriations earmarks. From a statement:
“I told the people of Utah I would seek to change the way we do business in Washington, DC. Nowhere has that promise ruffled more feathers than in the fight over federal earmarking,” said Chaffetz. “We are more than $12 trillion in debt. I can’t justify driving up our national debt.”
Instead, he will “find funding for worthy projects through the president’s budget submission and through the grant process, which differs from earmarks in that it is transparent, budgeted, and competitively awards dollars based on merit and need.”
This may be a good strategy for House Republicans moving forward — take a principled stand on spending that prevents Democrats from using Republican profligacy as an excuse for their own spend-crazy ways.
