Future of Earmarks Discussed at GOP Retreat (1/25/2008)

House Republicans are meeting this weekend to discuss their policy platforms for the legislative session. One of the first topics is how the GOP plans to address earmarks in the near future. Although there are a number of proposals, and the issue is murky at best, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) plans to come back to Washington with a “caucus-wide position.”

In January of 2006, the former Republican majority was entrenched in the fallout of a number of lobbying and ethics issues. Following the fall of former powerhouse lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the American public began to pay more attention to the way Congress conducts business. While the public scrutiny of lobbying practices rose, a special focus on the spending practices of Congressional leaders became a top priority for reformers. People wanted to know who was asking for special spending projects, and who was receiving that money. Republicans began looking into reforming the earmarking process.

Once the new Democratic majority took over in 2007, lobbying and ethics reform was on the list of top priorities. New rules were put in place that required members to put their name on their requests, which could no longer be added in conference. However, some reformers noted that knowing who is asking for these funding projects does not do anything to keep earmarks from getting out of hand. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) made it his personal mission to dispute most of these earmarks on the House floor, bringing more scrutiny to how Congress spent taxpayer dollars. Both parties want to keep the practice of earmarks in play, because bringing funding to a congressional district is a good way to work towards reelection. However, most lawmakers agree the process still needs to be reordered.

Republican leaders in the House are discussing ways to handle the issue. One suggestion is to put a year-long moratorium on earmarks for FY09 until a long-term solution is reached. However, with elections coming up in November, most members of the House will not be willing to let go of such a powerful campaigning tool. A more practical suggestion is to create a joint committee to oversee the process, hopefully making spending projects more transparent.

Earlier this month, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jim Nussle announced that he would review the more than 11,000 earmarks in the fiscal year 2008 omnibus bill, and see if there was any Executive authority to eliminate those deemed too wasteful. However, considering the fact that all lawmakers enjoy the political benefits of earmarking, Republican support for those projects is likely to keep Director Nussle from eliminating a significant number of earmarks. There is little doubt that the whole process will continue, the only question is how Congress will choose to regulate itself when it comes to targeted spending.

Resources:
Alan K. Ota, “GOP Seeks Consensus on Earmarks at Retreat,” CQ Today, January 24, 2008.
Author: SAS