Obama Will Sign Spending Bill, Fight Pork Later

Hacking off their earmarks

Ed Henry reports for CNN that President Obama is discussing guidelines which will help eliminate the parade of political “pet project” earmarks that are being inserted into pending legislation. To give you some idea of what a problem this is for America’s government, the recent spending bill when through the Senate with almost 9,000 unrelated earmarks tacked on. The money to pay for these gravy boats would come mostly from elected officials’ own pets: their constituents, the taxpayers!

Some lawmakers have urged Obama to veto the $410 billion spending bill because it is riddled with so many wasteful earmarks.

Next time, new rules

The White House has intimated that President Obama will sign the current spending bill. Much of it is a holdover from the previous administration and it needs to be into effect to help America’s economy right away, so the option to start again without the earmarks is unfeasible. However, he will lay out separate plans to attack earmarks in future bills. The president is committed to letting lawmakers know that there are going to be “new rules of the road.”

Numerous top Democrats, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, aren’t supportive of the president’s earmark assault. He feels that earmarks are a “congressional prerogative.” Recently, he told reporters this point blank: “I don’t think the White House has the ability to tell us what to do.”

Pork is pork, say Republicans

“[Such bills] will not happen when the president has the full legislative and appropriations process in place,” said Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Obama Will Sign Spending Bill, Fight Pork Later"