Cleaning Up

13 December 2006



Congress Extends Current Spending, Halts Earmarks

The 109th Congress adjourned early Saturday having passed only 2 of 11 spending bills needed to fund the government in fiscal 2007, which started October 1. This fiscal irresponsibility alone was sufficient cause to throw out the GOP. To give the 110th Congress some breathing room, lawmakers have extended current spending levels to February 15, 2007. However, the Democrats have said they’ll extend things to September 30 to avoid big fights. And earmarks are officially banned until lobbying changes are passed.

The wisdom of continuing to fund the government in fiscal 2007 at fiscal 2006 levels won’t make the deficit much better, but it does take spending off the table – sort of. The president is to offer his 2008 budget and his supplemental war funding request in January. That means the 110th Congress would be arguing over 2007 while being faced with 2008 plus war needs. That would sink every other policy initiative.

Congressman David R. Obey (D-WI) and Senator. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), who will head up the finance committees in their respective chambers, said in a statement, “While the results will be far from ideal, this path provides the best way to dispose of the unfinished business quickly, and allow governors, state and local officials, and families to finally plan for the coming year with some knowledge of what the federal government is funding.” And it allows the fight over 2008 spending to start on time.

Additionally, they are banning “earmarks,” those dreadful special set-asides of local pork. Bridges to nowhere are now out of favor. “We will work to restore an accountable, above-board, transparent process for funding decisions and put an end to the abuses that have harmed the credibility of Congress,” Messrs. Obey and Byrd stated.

Interestingly, the last time Congress actually passed on time all of the appropriations bills required to fund the government and got the president’s signature on all of them was 1994. Both men headed their respective finance committees then. Right after that, the Gingrich Revolution put Congress under Republican control, and things have been late ever since.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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