Showing posts with label earmarks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earmarks. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Oklahoma US Senator Tom Coburn on Fox News talking about Banning Earmark
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) pledged to force a vote on earmarks even and especially if Republican senators fail to ban the practice in a closed-door vote tomorrow. When the Food Safety bill comes up, said Coburn, "we can suspend the rules and have a vote on whether have earmarks or not."
Coburn's strategy would deny wavering Republicans a chance to defeat the "earmark ban" in a secret ballot. Senator-elect Mike Lee of Utah has asked for tomorrow's vote to be on the record, something that both Coburn and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) say they support. A secret ballot, they claim, is the only method by which the GOP conference won't approve the promise not to request earmarks.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Jack Murtha: Still the King of Pork
CBS Evening News does a piece on why Murtha's spending spree hurts taxpayers.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Boehner, Pelosi Battle Over Website Domain
Hat Tip to David All
An interesting battle is quietly taking place in the annals of Congress (and online) that probably won't make it very far beyond the Beltway chattering class but is worth noting in this space.
The turse is between Republican Leader John Boehner, Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and House bureaucrats (hired by Pelosi) who interpret silly, outdated, and flawed House Rules governing the use of websites by Members of Congress at their discretion.
The gist of the story is that Leader Boehner's office received approval in August to use the domain name, earmarkreform.house.gov, to serve as the House Republican's hub to reform earmarks. However, just two weeks after the website went live, the House Chief Administrative Officer, Dan Beard, rescinded his approval of the domain name, calling the previous approval a "mistake," and has shut the website down.
Boehner is, rightfully, crying foul. CQ has the full scoop:
[Boehner] said he was convinced the revocation was politically motivated.
“I am writing today to register my protest over this belated change,” he wrote Beard. “Changing its address now will inevitably hamper the effectiveness of the new Web site, much to the convenience of the majority that runs the House.”
Boehner went on to allege that the change was probably related to the continued stream of stories about Democratic House members and their use of the earmarking process.
The response to Boehner:
In a statement, Beard spokesman Jeff Ventura said permission for Boehner to use the Web site was issued mistakenly. He said the CAO had determined that the address violated using a slogan in the name of any site included in the house.gov domain and that Boehner had been asked to “transition” to another address.
“The CAO is now initiating a review” of all House Web addresses “to ensure compliance with traditional formatting,” Ventura said. Any sites that are in potential conflict with the House Administration Committee’s interpretation of the rule will be reviewed by the committee.
He said the House information resources office is “working with Mr. Boehner’s staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.”
Boehner is fighting a good, worthwhile fight that conservative activists could rally behind. In fact, over at Slatecard, our donor analytics show that the issue badge, Cut The Pork, is the #1 most frequently given issue badge and is the #2 issue badge with regard to total donations:
However, the truth of the matter is that, when live and operational, the website probably wasn't actually doing much good with regard to changing the narrative about House Republicans and earmarks. However, it was a strong step in the right direction as a positive embrace of the Internet by Republicans and a very real hub of information/efforts toward one single goal.
But, now, in its death -- we're all writing about the fact that John Boehner's efforts to reform earmarks is being crippled not by a team of appropriators -- but by Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies.
That's a win for his communications team. A scoop of porridge if you'll have it.
House Minority Leader Rep. John A. Boehner wants his Web site address back.
The Ohio Republican on Thursday protested a decision by House Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard to revoke his staff’s earlier approval for Boehner to use the address www.earmarkreform.house.gov.
The site, which House GOP leaders set up to promote their ideas for making further changes to the congressional earmark system and to pressure Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders to support them, had gone online earlier this month.
Boehner had received permission to use the Web address in an Aug. 18 letter from the House Information Resources office. The GOP site went online earlier this month.
Boehner got another letter this week telling him that permission had been rescinded.
He said he was convinced the revocation was politically motivated.
“I am writing today to register my protest over this belated change,” he wrote Beard. “Changing its address now will inevitably hamper the effectiveness of the new Web site, much to the convenience of the majority that runs the House.”
Boehner went on to allege that the change was probably related to the continued stream of stories about Democratic House members and their use of the earmarking process.
In a statement, Beard spokesman Jeff Ventura said permission for Boehner to use the Web site was issued mistakenly. He said the CAO had determined that the address violated using a slogan in the name of any site included in the house.gov domain and that Boehner had been asked to “transition” to another address.
“The CAO is now initiating a review” of all House Web addresses “to ensure compliance with traditional formatting,” Ventura said. Any sites that are in potential conflict with the House Administration Committee’s interpretation of the rule will be reviewed by the committee.
He said the House information resources office is “working with Mr. Boehner’s staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.”
An interesting battle is quietly taking place in the annals of Congress (and online) that probably won't make it very far beyond the Beltway chattering class but is worth noting in this space.
The turse is between Republican Leader John Boehner, Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and House bureaucrats (hired by Pelosi) who interpret silly, outdated, and flawed House Rules governing the use of websites by Members of Congress at their discretion.
The gist of the story is that Leader Boehner's office received approval in August to use the domain name, earmarkreform.house.gov, to serve as the House Republican's hub to reform earmarks. However, just two weeks after the website went live, the House Chief Administrative Officer, Dan Beard, rescinded his approval of the domain name, calling the previous approval a "mistake," and has shut the website down.
Boehner is, rightfully, crying foul. CQ has the full scoop:
[Boehner] said he was convinced the revocation was politically motivated.
“I am writing today to register my protest over this belated change,” he wrote Beard. “Changing its address now will inevitably hamper the effectiveness of the new Web site, much to the convenience of the majority that runs the House.”
Boehner went on to allege that the change was probably related to the continued stream of stories about Democratic House members and their use of the earmarking process.
The response to Boehner:
In a statement, Beard spokesman Jeff Ventura said permission for Boehner to use the Web site was issued mistakenly. He said the CAO had determined that the address violated using a slogan in the name of any site included in the house.gov domain and that Boehner had been asked to “transition” to another address.
“The CAO is now initiating a review” of all House Web addresses “to ensure compliance with traditional formatting,” Ventura said. Any sites that are in potential conflict with the House Administration Committee’s interpretation of the rule will be reviewed by the committee.
He said the House information resources office is “working with Mr. Boehner’s staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.”
Boehner is fighting a good, worthwhile fight that conservative activists could rally behind. In fact, over at Slatecard, our donor analytics show that the issue badge, Cut The Pork, is the #1 most frequently given issue badge and is the #2 issue badge with regard to total donations:
Top Issue Badges By Frequency
1. Cut The Pork: 54
2. Pro-Life: 48
3. Protect & Defend America: 46
4. Jobs & Economy: 36
5. Conservation Of Resources: 33
Top Issue Badges By Total Dollars
1. Protect & Defend America: $9,435.99
2. Cut The Pork: $6,593.00
3. Available and Affordable Health Care: $4,825.00
4. Jobs & Economy: $4,337.00
5. Defeat Radical Islam: $3,525.00
However, the truth of the matter is that, when live and operational, the website probably wasn't actually doing much good with regard to changing the narrative about House Republicans and earmarks. However, it was a strong step in the right direction as a positive embrace of the Internet by Republicans and a very real hub of information/efforts toward one single goal.
But, now, in its death -- we're all writing about the fact that John Boehner's efforts to reform earmarks is being crippled not by a team of appropriators -- but by Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies.
That's a win for his communications team. A scoop of porridge if you'll have it.
Boehner Cries Foul After House
CAO Revokes GOP Web Address
CAO Revokes GOP Web Address
House Minority Leader Rep. John A. Boehner wants his Web site address back.
The Ohio Republican on Thursday protested a decision by House Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard to revoke his staff’s earlier approval for Boehner to use the address www.earmarkreform.house.gov.
The site, which House GOP leaders set up to promote their ideas for making further changes to the congressional earmark system and to pressure Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders to support them, had gone online earlier this month.
Boehner had received permission to use the Web address in an Aug. 18 letter from the House Information Resources office. The GOP site went online earlier this month.
Boehner got another letter this week telling him that permission had been rescinded.
He said he was convinced the revocation was politically motivated.
“I am writing today to register my protest over this belated change,” he wrote Beard. “Changing its address now will inevitably hamper the effectiveness of the new Web site, much to the convenience of the majority that runs the House.”
Boehner went on to allege that the change was probably related to the continued stream of stories about Democratic House members and their use of the earmarking process.
In a statement, Beard spokesman Jeff Ventura said permission for Boehner to use the Web site was issued mistakenly. He said the CAO had determined that the address violated using a slogan in the name of any site included in the house.gov domain and that Boehner had been asked to “transition” to another address.
“The CAO is now initiating a review” of all House Web addresses “to ensure compliance with traditional formatting,” Ventura said. Any sites that are in potential conflict with the House Administration Committee’s interpretation of the rule will be reviewed by the committee.
He said the House information resources office is “working with Mr. Boehner’s staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.”
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Is It Pork Barrel Spending? You Decide...
"Earmarks" are getting a lot of attention in Congress right now. However, the process of using taxpayer money to fund pet projects is not exclusive to Washington, D.C. Oklahoma state lawmakers have been using the same pork-barrel spending system for decades. News On 6 anchor Terry Hood in a News On 6 Investigation reports on why it became so popular.
"We could've used a whole lot more," said former state senator J. Berry Harrison.
Earmarks helped make J. Berry Harrison a popular man in his hometown. In his 16 years in the state Senate, he approved all kinds of handouts for his district. One of the biggest was a $100,000 grant for the renovation of Fairfax's famous Tallchief Theatre. Harrison agrees with the old saying that it's only pork-barrel spending when you don't get any.
"Probably the criticism might come from another senator's district who would like to have the money for himself," said J. Berry Harrison.
"The money that was spent in my district, or whoever got it, is probably the best money spent," said State Rep. Lucky Lamons, (D) Sand Springs.
State representative Lucky Lamons says earmarks allowed him to help all kinds of worthy causes. But he acknowledges some state lawmakers found a way to abuse the system.
"Was there an avenue? Sure. My father used to have a saying, he used to say, 'son, not all knights are noble not all maidens fair,'" said State Rep. Lucky Lamons.
The state legislature uses appropriations bills to spell out how it spends most of your tax dollars. But party leaders also set aside millions of dollars for certain lawmakers to earmark as “special project" or "pass through" money. The money earned that name because it "passed through" Oklahoma's 11 sub-state planning districts, called Councils of Government, or COGs for short.
Legislators have been funding earmarks through the COGs for decades, making it difficult to track who asked for them, and where the money actually went. The News On 6 contacted each individual COG and dig through five years' worth of documents. We uncovered millions of dollars of your money being spent on earmarks from Altus to Vinita, from Broken Bow to Beaver.
You paid to fix the fence at the confederate cemetery in Atoka.
You bought two ceremonial bugles for the VFW post in Sand Springs.
Spent $260,000 to promote tourism at the Har-Ber Village at Grand Lake.
Paid for a rodeo to benefit the town of Chelsea.
Lights at the ballpark in Verden.
You spent $100,000 for international recruitment at the Nigh Institute in Edmond. You built a health facility in Beckham County.
You paid the salary of a translator at Birth Choice of Oklahoma.
And you furnished the cash to complete the "Headin' to Market" statue at the Stockyards in Oklahoma City.
"Did some people take advantage of it? You betcha. Are they under investigation? You betcha. Is one going to go to the penitentiary? Pretty much it looks like it is," said State representative Lucky Lamons.
Lucky Lamons is referring to Mike Mass. Mass is the former Hartshorne state representative who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in what prosecutors say was a scheme to use the “pass-through” system to set up his own kickback. He’s awaiting sentencing in an ongoing federal investigation that involves at least three other former legislators.
"I think the governor saw this and thought there was some inappropriate money being sent and that's why he vetoed it," said State Rep. Lucky Lamons.
The Governor turned off the special project pipeline in 2005, but not before lawmakers used millions of dollars for questionable earmarks. The University of Tulsa got $20,000 to buy video equipment for its football team. How would a private university receive state funds for its athletic program?
"They're all constituent requests. Whatever projects that I would have supported were all constituent requests," said former state senator Kevin Easley.
According to records from the Eastern Oklahoma Development District, a COG based in Muskogee, Kevin Easley earmarked that money. Easley lives in Broken Arrow, and is a TU graduate. Now the CEO of the Grand River Dam Authority, Easley says he does not recall details of the earmarks he sent through the EODD when he was a state senator. That would include the $225,000 which records show he earmarked to a group called the Broken Arrow Community Center Foundation.
"That was a project that the voters of Broken Arrow voted for, and supported and constituents had asked for," said Kevin Easley.
Broken Arrow voters did approve a million-dollar bond issue to buy land for a new community center on the east side, a project that is still in the planning stages. But those voters may not have known about Senator Easley's personal connection to it.
"My wife's a volunteer and once the land is secured she will continue to be a volunteer," said Kevin Easley.
But the chairman of the foundation says Easley's wife was more than a volunteer.
"She worked hard on, putting all this together," said Larry Allison with the BA Community Center Foundation.
Broken Arrow realtor Larry Allison says the foundation hired her as executive director. He also says one of the board members is her father. That means two of former senator Easley's family members were involved with the foundation, when he earmarked $225,000 in state funds for it.
News On 6 asked Larry Allison. “You can see where that, why some people might object to that." Larry Allison responded, "Well, I can tell you that she worked very, very hard in what we were trying to accomplish. And that's all I can tell you. How other people look at it is their problem."
The News On 6 wanted to talk to Dee Ann Easley about her work with the Broken Arrow Community Center Foundation, but she never returned our phone calls. Governor Brad Henry used a line-item veto to temporarily halt earmarks, but there is no law to stop
KOTV - 11/28/2007 10:00 PM - Updated 11/29/2007 6:08 AM
The Easley Family and PORK part 1...
According to records from the Eastern Oklahoma Development District, a COG based in Muskogee, Kevin Easley earmarked that money. Easley lives in Broken Arrow, and is a TU graduate. Now the CEO of the Grand River Dam Authority, Easley says he does not recall details of the earmarks he sent through the EODD when he was a state senator. That would include the $225,000 which records show he earmarked to a group called the Broken Arrow Community Center Foundation.
"That was a project that the voters of Broken Arrow voted for, and supported and constituents had asked for," said Kevin Easley.
Broken Arrow voters did approve a million-dollar bond issue to buy land for a new community center on the east side, a project that is still in the planning stages. But those voters may not have known about Senator Easley's personal connection to it.
"My wife's a volunteer and once the land is secured she will continue to be a volunteer," said Kevin Easley.
But the chairman of the foundation says Easley's wife was more than a volunteer.
"She worked hard on, putting all this together," said Larry Allison with the BA Community Center Foundation.
Broken Arrow realtor Larry Allison says the foundation hired her as executive director. He also says one of the board members is her father. That means two of former senator Easley's family members were involved with the foundation, when he earmarked $225,000 in state funds for it.
The News asked Larry Allison. “You can see where that, why some people might object to that." Larry Allison responded, "Well, I can tell you that she worked very, very hard in what we were trying to accomplish. And that's all I can tell you. How other people look at it is their problem."
The News wanted to talk to Dee Ann Easley about her work with the Broken Arrow Community Center Foundation, but she never returned our phone calls. Governor Brad Henry used a line-item veto to temporarily halt earmarks, but there is no law to stop lawmakers from using them again.
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=140279
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Coburn's Anti-Pork Amendment Killed By Senate
Dr. Tom Coburn, expressed his disappointment today after the Senate killed his amendment, “The Children's Health Care First Act,” that would have delayed funding for special interest pork projects until the Secretary of Health and Human Services certified that all children have health insurance.
The Coburn amendment was defeated, or tabled, by a vote of 68 to 26.
“The American people have heard a lot of chatter in Washington about who cares more about children’s health care. The fact is lawmakers in both parties agree that Congress has a moral obligation to care for those who are unable to care for themselves. Yet, when asked to sacrifice their own pork projects, Washington politicians of both parties chose to abandon children,” Dr. Tom said.
Dr. Tom Coburn, expressed his disappointment today after the Senate killed his amendment, “The Children's Health Care First Act,” that would have delayed funding for special interest pork projects until the Secretary of Health and Human Services certified that all children have health insurance.
The Coburn amendment was defeated, or tabled, by a vote of 68 to 26.
“The American people have heard a lot of chatter in Washington about who cares more about children’s health care. The fact is lawmakers in both parties agree that Congress has a moral obligation to care for those who are unable to care for themselves. Yet, when asked to sacrifice their own pork projects, Washington politicians of both parties chose to abandon children,” Dr. Tom said.
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