Rep. Jeb Hensarling, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, tonight called on the House Republican leadership team, appropriators and ranking committee members to give up earmarks as part of Minority Leader John Boehner’s pledge to impose an earmark moratorium. Support from Hensarling gives Boehner a much-needed boost in his bid …
Sen. John McCain, a leading opponent of earmarking, today praised President Bush for his plan to issue an executive order cracking down on pork-barrel spending. During a conference call with bloggers, McCain said he was rejoicing at the thought of angry appropriators in Congress. “Thank God he’s doing it,” McCain …
Brian Darling previews President Bush’s final State of the Union address, noting that Iraq, free trade and taxes will be major themes of the speech. Darling also appeared on the National Association of Manufacturers’ “American Business With Mike Hambrick” to share his thoughts about the speech. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIwPLTGppis[/youtube] The White House, …
President Bush’s decision to challenge lawmakers on earmarks comes only days after House Republicans made their own pledge to give up pork projects. At their retreat last Friday in West Virginia, House GOP leaders released a letter calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to issue an immediate moratorium on earmarks and …
President Bush will issue an executive order tomorrow that directs federal agencies to ignore any future earmark that is not voted on by lawmakers and included in a law approved by Congress. It’s a long-overdue step by the administration to curtail earmarks, but falls short of what conservatives had hoped …
Sen. Jeff Sessions spoke at The Heritage Foundation today to outline a roadmap for presidential candidates on the issue of immigration reform. During his speech, Sessions outlined 15 questions to ask presidential candidates in order to determine their seriousness about fixing the immigration mess. Mark Krikorian has posted them at …
Conservatives on Capitol Hill are expressing mixed reactions to news that a deal has been struck on an economic stimulus package. Some staffers are expressing disappointment that Republicans agreed to government giveaways of $300 for individuals and up to $1,200 for families. Others said they were grateful that House Minority …
Lawmakers may not be giving up earmarks en masse, but the negative stigma of pork-barrel spending has rubbed off on some members of Congress. In the Senate, conservative champion Jim DeMint and veteran appropriator Ted Stevens clashed openly during a meeting late last year. DeMint acknowledged that his quest to …
The Politico reports today that fiscal conservatives face several hurdles in their quest to end earmarks, not the least of which is that “Democrats last year actually approved fewer earmarks than Republicans did when they ran Congress.” A closer look at the numbers reveals that isn’t exactly true. Liberals are …
Vice President Cheney spoke at Heritage this morning about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a critical tool in the government’s arsenal to fight terrorists. The law is under consideration once again by Congress, which passed temporary changes last summer. With those modifications set to expire on Feb. 1, Cheney renewed …
