July 16, 2009
Something both sides can agree on: Let the earmarking begin!

Posted at 1:28 pm, in: Earmarks, Spending
Tags: Allen Boyd, Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, David R. Obey, Harold Rogers, Jack Kingston, James P. Moran, Jerry Lewis, John P. Murtha, Kay Granger, Marcy Kaptur, Maurice D. Hinchey, Peter J. Visclosky, Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Steven R. Rothman, Todd Tiahrt

As the Wall Street Journal reports, the military budget is the perfect opportunity for earmarking for members on both sides of the aisle:

WASHINGTON — Despite cries for reform, the earmark process is alive and well in Congress.

As lawmakers write the military budget for fiscal-year 2010, every member on the House defense-appropriations subcommittee has requested funds for contractors and other organizations with employees who have donated money to their campaigns.

The 18 members of the subcommittee are seeking a total of about $2 billion on behalf of such companies, universities and nonprofit groups, according to a review of campaign-finance data and nearly 400 earmark requests in the 2010 defense-spending bill by the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Employees of those entities donated nearly $1 million to the 11 Democrats and seven Republicans since the beginning of 2007.

In the blue corner:

Chair: John P. Murtha (PA)
Norman D. Dicks (WA)
Peter J. Visclosky (IN)
James P. Moran (VA)
Marcy Kaptur (OH)
Allen Boyd (FL)
Steven R. Rothman (NJ)
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA)
Maurice D. Hinchey (NY)
Carolyn C. Kilpratrick (MI)
David R. Obey (WI), Ex Officio

And in the Red corner:

Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (NJ)
Todd Tiahrt (KS)
Jack Kingston (GA)
Kay Granger (TX)
Harold Rogers (KY)
Jerry Lewis (CA), Ex Officio

I guess they’re still working toward bipartisanship on The Hill. Good for them! They are finally finding common ground: screwing us out of our tax dollars to buy votes in the next election. Awesome! Way to screw over America! I think that’s exactly what we elected you to do.