When House Republicans convene behind closed doors today (Thursday) at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., they have a chance to make two bold moves to restore their reputation for fiscal responsibility. First, they could declare a one-year moratorium on Republican congressional earmarks. Second, they could name anti-earmark reformer Rep. Jeff Flake to a vacancy on the House Appropriations Committee. In fact, almost surely they will do neither.

Read more at Real Clear Politics.

Red State - The President has not issued his executive order on earmarks, and it appears he won’t.

Club for Growth - If this is true, what a disappointment. 

National Taxpayers Union - If the President misses this opportunity, it would be a heck of a shame. 

Citizens Against Government Waste - 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.
 

Rudy Giuliani

“Congress Spent $29 Billion On Earmarks Last Year Alone. Earmarks Are The Broken Windows Of The Federal Budget, Signs Of Dysfunction And Distress. … The American People Want Us To End Earmarks Once And For All.” (Rudy Giuliani, Op-Ed, The Meaning Of Fiscal Conservatism, The Wall Street Journal, 12/3/07)

http://www.joinrudy2008.com/blog/view/593 

Mike Huckabee

When asked if he would issue an executive order as president, Mike Huckabee put it this way: “I think some of them ought to be vetoed. If they can’t be vetoed, then ignore them.” Huckabee also vowed to increase transparency.

http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed123107a.cfm

John McCain

I’ll stop wasteful spending by Congress. And restore American’s trust in their Government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVynnfY-UZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXTRuG9QwzM&feature=related 

Mitt Romney

As President, I pledge to use every available method to eliminate wasteful earmarks in the federal budget.

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Earmarks_Omnibus

President Bush’s focus has shifted to an economic stimulus package, but that hasn’t discouraged fiscal conservatives from pursuing an executive order canceling lawmakers’ earmarks. A coalition of 24 groups signed a letter to Bush today asking him to bring an end to the “earmark era.”

January 18, 2008

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear. Mr. President:

On behalf of the millions of grassroots Americans we represent, we write to ask you to protect taxpayers by issuing an Executive Order that instructs all Federal agencies to ignore non-legislative earmarks tucked into committee reports and statements of managers. Now is the time to take back the appropriations process for the American people. Just as many families make decisions to cut wasteful spending when needed, the federal government must also set priorities and cut spending when necessary.

A December 18 analysis by the Congressional Research Service concluded that it is clearly within your legal authority to eliminate all earmarks that appear in committee reports or manager’s statements. By eliminating the over 9,000 earmarks included in the report language of the FY08 Omnibus spending bill, you will send a clear message to Congress that wasteful, secretive spending of taxpayer dollars will not be tolerated.

This situation requires strong action from the President, not transparent political ploys that fail to get the job done. For example, a rescissions package, in which the President submits a list of already-passed provisions for cancellation, would be the equivalent of doing nothing because it requires action from the very same Congress that passed the wasteful earmarks. Similarly, an Executive Order covering only “air-dropped” earmarks, those not appearing in either the House or Senate version of a bill and added in conference, would be a weak answer to a serious problem. The omnibus appropriations bill contained only 300 air-dropped projects and such an order would provide little disincentive for future earmarks.

We urge you to listen to the voice of millions of citizens across the country who resent wasteful earmarking. You have the authority and opportunity to put Congress back on the path to fiscal responsibility. We hope you will seize this opportunity and protect the American taxpayer from further abuse by ending the earmark era. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

American Civil Rights Union
American Conservative Union
American Family Association
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for the Preservation of Liberty
Americans for Tax Reform
American Values
Citizens against Government Waste
Council for America
Catholic Vote.org
Coalitions for America
Concerned Women for America
Eagle Forum
English First
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Family Research Council
Let Freedom Ring
National Center for Public Policy Research
National Taxpayers Union
Porkbusters.org
Rightmarch.com
Taxpayers for Common Sense
U.S. Business and Industry Council
60 Plus Association

• Bush May Target Earmarks - John Stanton, Roll Call
  The White House may link a possible executive order eliminating thousands of earmarks with a call for reprogramming the funding, perhaps through a direct rebate to taxpayers or by putting the savings into children’s health care or bridge repair programs
  (tags: bush earmarks executive_order pork)
• Bush earmarks plan roils Dems, fractures GOP - Kevin Bogardus & Manu Raju, The Hill
  The leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee are calling on President Bush to back away from threats to kill funding for lawmakers’ pet projects.
  (tags: bush earmarks democrats republicans executive_order)
• Bush Considers Canceling Earmarks - Brian Faughnan, Weekly Standard
  Canceling about $20 billion in pork-barrel spending might help restore the party’s ‘brand’ on fiscal responsibility.
  (tags: bush earmarks executive_order)
• Small Business; Big Money - Sharyl Attkisson, Couric & Co.
  Our Follow the Money story talks about a small business called ProLogic that’s under FBI investigation for its use of some public funds.
  (tags: earmarks pork corruption)
• The Pork King Keeps His Crown - Editorial, New York Times
  The new earmark disclosure rules put into effect by Congress confirm the pre-eminence of Representative John Murtha at procuring eye-popping chunks of pork for contractors he helped put in business in Johnstown, Pa.
  (tags: murtha earmarks congress corruption)
• Bob Casey: Earmarked for success - Steve Goldstein, Philadelphia Inquirer
  The freshman senator has excelled early at bringing home federal money for projects in Pennsylvania.
  (tags: casey congress earmarks corruption pork)
• The Brewing War Over Earmarks - Paul Jacob, Sam Adams Alliance
  The Democrats took over Congress, pledging to curb the practice of earmarks.
  (tags: earmarks pork bush executive_order)

• A Congressional Mystery: Quid Pro Coconut - The Editorial Board, New York Times
  One of the big themes in this year’s presidential election, in both parties, is that things need to change in Washington. Exhibit A for that could be the the Coconut Road project in Florida.
  (tags: earmarks coburn congress pork omnibus)
• An End to Earmarks? - Mike Franc, Weekly Standard
  Policy strugles between the Executive Branch and Congress often arise because the perspective of presidents differs greatly from that of lawmakers. Presidents and vice presidents are the only national “officers of the Constitution.” In the words of Joseph
  (tags: earmarks pork bush congress executive_order)

A day after his victory in the New Hampshire primary, Sen. John McCain spoke with bloggers about a variety of issues, including the option of a presidential executive order canceling earmarks in the omnibus spending bill. Erick Erickson of RedState posed the question to the Arizona senator, who has long been a critic of pork-barrel spending. Here is the exchange, courtesy of Jim Geraghty of National Review:

Erick Erickson: Senator Coburn wants investigation into Don Young’s appropriation got back into bill after it had been stripped out. Would you support an executive order to zero out these “airdropped earmarks”?

McCain: Absolutely, absolutely. I appreciate any time Coburn goes after these earmarks. He has torn the crown of ‘Miss Congeniality in the Senate’ from my grasp. I’m proud of the effectiveness of the way he has worked. We have to bring this to a halt. People are sick and tired.

Republican rival Fred Thompson is holding a conference call on Thursday. We’ll do our best to ask him where he comes down on the issue of an executive order. Thompson has outlined his views on earmarks as part of his plan to reduce federal spending.

Cross-posted on The Foundry.

If you’re on Facebook, please join the new group created by Phil Kerpen called Cancel Earmarks by Executive Order. There are already 200 people signed up as members.

• Bush can signal the end of excessive earmarks - E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star
  Budget stories normally draw little interest, and even less with a presidential campaign heating up.
  (tags: earmarks executive_order bush pork omnibus)
• Dallas-area projects among those getting millions from federal budget - Brendan McKenna, Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | National Politics
  From $86.3 million to expand Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail lines to $95,000 for the Kickstart juvenile delinquency prevention program, North Texas lawmakers were eager to attach their names to projects large and small in the federal budget for 2008.
  (tags: dallas texas earmarks budget omnibus pork)

Pork spending must be as American as apple pie, the way members of Congress pack the federal budget with pet projects for their home districts. It’s easy to take your pick of cultural curiosities with an “Americana” theme to plan a Pork Vacation Tour for the New Year. After all, Congress slipped in more than 11,300 budget-busting “earmarks” before Christmas. Here are just a few “destination” pork stops sure to delight any red-blooded American taxpayer.