A column in today’s N.Y. Times by Robert Pear indicates the White House will not issue an executive order advising federal agencies to ignore the earmarks contained in the report language of the fiscal 2008 spending bills. As you will recall, there are about 11,000 earmarks worth about $14 billion.
According to Pear, the White House doesn’t want to get into a mix-up with Congress over earmarks. Minority Whip Blunt has cautioned the White House that a fight over earmarks could hurt the President’s effort to get a stimulus package passed in Congress. Furthermore, it seems a lot of Republicans blanch at the thought that some future Democrat president could reject all their earmarks. Oh the horror of it.
OK. Let me get this straight. The President, who is NOT up for election this year, issues an executive order to agencies to ignore wasteful earmarks and the Congress, that IS up for election, refuses to do anything to help the economy as a response to his action? Or possibly refuses to do other things, like fund the troops who are in harm’s way? Please. Mr. President, issue the order and tell Congress “make my day.”
Some of our fiscal conservative friends — NTU, Club for Growth, and Mark Tapscott of The Washington Examiner — have weighed in on this issue, encouraging President Bush to think of his legacy and to issue the executive order.
If President Bush ignores the big spenders and issues the executive order, it will prove to taxpayers that at least some in Washington have gotten the message about wasteful spending.
Filed under: Pork
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It does not matter about earmarks , Just write your congressman or whatever and tell them you won’t be voting for them anymore