Monday, June 4, 2007


Another Broken Promies...
Democrats Have a Difficult Time with the Truth…When it Comes to Disclosing Earmarks

Washington, DC – Rep. Tom Price (GA-06-R) issued the following statement today after Democrats attempted to keep earmark requests shielded from public scrutiny.

The Promise:

    “We are going to adopt rules that make the system of legislation transparent so that we don't legislate in the dark of night, and the public and other members can see what is being done.”

    “We need to have [earmarks] subject to [more] debate. That's what debate and public awareness is all about. Democracy works if people know what's going on.” – Steny Hoyer, Click here

The Reality:

    After promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress' pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.

    Democrats are sidestepping rules approved their first day in power in January to clearly identify "earmarks"—lawmakers' requests for specific projects and contracts for their states—in documents that accompany spending bills.

    Rather than including specific pet projects, grants and contracts in legislation as it is being written, Democrats are following an order by the House Appropriations Committee chairman to keep the bills free of such earmarks until it is too late for critics to effectively challenge them. (AP, 03/06/07)

“What earmarks are Democrats trying to hide? Earmarks should be included in bills as they are being debated, not under the cover of darkness in a closed-door meeting. The American people were promised transparency and openness when it comes to earmarks. Unfortunately, the only thing they are getting is a growing list of Democrat broken promises.”

The Solution:

    Positive, Principled, Solution-Oriented Leadership

Democrat Broken Promise Meter: 30

###

[Back]