A proposal by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd to limit congressional “pork” in future spending bills is unenforceable and full of loopholes, according to longtime crusaders against federal spending on lawmakers’ pet projects.
Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., say the move this week by Byrd — the self-described “pork king” — is a cynical attempt to block them from winning more effective reforms.
“American taxpayers deserve more than a wink and a nod,” DeMint told reporters.
Byrd, D-W.Va., announced the immediate adoption of “an unprecedented policy of transparency” for the Appropriations Committee.
Under his proposal, all earmarks — pots of money set aside by lawmakers for special projects, often in their home districts — will be clearly identified, along with the names of their sponsors. Also, members of Congress will be required to certify that neither they nor their spouses have a financial stake in any earmark.
DeMint and Coburn applauded Byrd and others for reversing their earlier opposition to earmark reform but said Byrd’s rule falls far short of what needs to be done to clean up the extravagant and often unseemly spending.
For one thing, they said, the rule could be waived at the discretion of the Appropriations Committee chairman.
For another, the Byrd proposal does not apply to all earmarks. For example, the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” — a $220 million bridge in Alaskato an island of 50 residents — was included in a transportation bill that did not come before the Appropriations Committee.
And since the new guidelines apply only to the Appropriations Committee, instead of being enacted as a Senate rule, lawmakers who object to earmarks have no parliamentary recourse if the rules are ignored.
DeMint and Coburn also said they have little faith in the commitment to real reform by Byrd and Senate leaders because they recently larded up the “emergency” war spending bill with about $20 billion in pork.
The two Republicans have been joined by Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., John McCain, R-Ariz., Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., in sponsoring a much tougher set of rules changes. Their bill is given little chance of passage.
