Warren County Report

In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (online at www.wolf.house.gov ), House Republican leaders wrote that the “earmark system should be brought to an immediate halt, and a bipartisan select committee should be established for the purpose of identifying ways to bring fundamental change to the way in which Washington spends taxpayers’ money.” House Republicans agreed to the plan at their annual retreat last week as a first step on earmark reform and urged Democrats to accept the proposal at their annual retreat, which is set for this week. As an interim step, House Republicans have adopted the following new standards for earmarks for members of their caucus: * Members of Congress can not earmark money for projects named after themselves. * All earmarks must be fully disclosed, and none can be inserted into bills “at the last minute” by conference committees. * No money should be earmarked for “front groups” that mask the true recipients of federal money. * Members of Congress who request earmarks should give a plan describing exactly how the money will be spent and why using federal money is justified. These plans should be published in the Congressional Record before lawmakers vote on the floor. Wolf said he was pleased that the Republican Conference had decided to model its plan for dealing with earmarks after the legislation he and his two colleagues introduced last November. “The legislation gives Congress the opportunity to restore honesty, integrity and openness to the process,” Wolf said. H. Con. Res 263, was introduced on November 15 and to date has 99 co-sponsors, including Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who are widely recognized as the House’s most outspoken critics of earmarks. Under the measure, the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Earmark Reform would be comprised of 16 members, evenly split between the House and Senate and Republicans and Democrats. The panel would examine the way earmarks are included in authorizing, appropriation and tax and tariff measures. Executive branch earmarks also would be studied. While the study is under way, no earmarks would be considered by either the House or the Senate. Below are Wolf’s prepared remarks from the November press conference: “I want to first thank Jack Kingston for his yeoman work to address the earmark issue, which has become the dark cloud engulfing the institution of Congress. “I have been pleased to join him and many of our colleagues who recognize that to restore the trust of the American people in Congress, we must reform the earmark process. “Placing a moratorium on all earmarks until a bipartisan, bicameral joint select committee can make a full study of earmarks and report to the House and Senate is critical in the effort to restore the confidence of the American people that Congress can responsibly spend the people's money. “The American public doesn't trust Congress to do its job as we have seen in the recent opinion polls and earmarks are front and center in giving Congress a bad name. Just ‘Google’ the ‘bridge to nowhere.’ You'll find thousands upon thousands of entries with derisive headlines such as ‘Bridge to Nowhere – a national symbol of porkmania.’ Like it or not, the perception is that Congress can't control spending and that Congress wastes taxpayer dollars. “Like many of our colleagues, I have sought earmarks and believe that the majority of earmarks are for purposes which help people. One example is my work to help my district fight violent MS-13 gangs. But pick up a newspaper, or listen to the media, and you hear earmarks described as scandal-ridden, pork-filled, out-of-control spending. “Congress holds the power of the purse and I don't believe the American public really wants us to cede that authority to the executive branch. Yet recent attempts at creating transparency in the earmark process have not satisfied the public. “To do that, we need a thorough vetting of the earmark process through a bipartisan process that can put in place a system that restores the confidence of Americans that bills are not loaded up with hidden special interest, wasteful spending. I strongly support earmark reform including listing names of sponsors of earmarks or specific line-item spending. But the rules must apply an equal standard in all legislation, appropriations as well as authorizing and tax bills, in disclosing earmark sponsors. It must be across-the-board in every bill, but it also must be a process of indisputable integrity and probity that is honest and authentic and in which the American people have absolute trust. “The resolution will set up a joint select committee which will hold public hearings and undertake a comprehensive review of the entire earmark process. The panel will report its findings back to the House and Senate on how to provide transparency and responsibility in the system of member directed spending. “I believe the American people are looking for leadership and for changes in the way earmarks are handled in Congress and I am pleased to be a part of this effort which offers that opportunity.”