Sunday, February 3, 2008

What are Congressional Earmarks?


President Bush: "The People's Trust in their Government is Undermined by Congressional Earmarks";
"Earmarks are funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents the merit-based or competitive allocation process, or specifies the location or recipient, or otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to properly manage funds. Congress includes earmarks in appropriation bills - the annual spending bills that Congress enacts to allocate discretionary spending - and also in authorization bills."


Related;
In Fairfield, McCain Attacks Clinton on Earmarks;
But then, in a pointed and an unusual targeted attack on one of the Democratic candidates, he assailed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the issue of pork-barrel spending, asking, to loud applause, “What do you want, a bridge to nowhere or a $1,000 tax credit for every child in America?”

“Senator Clinton has gotten $500 million worth of pork-barrel projects,” Mr. McCain continued. “That kind of thing is going to stop when I’m president of the United States of America.”

1 comment:

Ken Houghton said...

Let's see: the "bridge to nowhere" was a creation of Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. Which party is he a member of, again?

Oh, right: John McCain's.

So "Straight Talk" is saying that only Republicans will get earmarks in his Administration?

Nice to know; good incentive for voters to cross party lines to support him.