McConnell's Bad Budget Plan
Club for Growth Criticizes McConnell Plan on Omnibus
Washington - In response to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s press conference this afternoon on the Omnibus bill, Club for Growth President Pat Toomey issued the following statement:
“It is a shame to see the highest ranking Republicans in the Senate move to the left of the Democrats on earmarks. For weeks, House Republicans stood strong against wasteful spending, resulting in a victory when Democratic Representative David Obey proposed eliminating all earmarks from the Omnibus Appropriations bill in order to reduce the bill’s price tag to meet the President’s request. We think this is a fantastic idea and applaud Obey for recognizing that earmarks are the least worthy component of the Omnibus bill.”
“Unfortunately, Senator McConnell and Trent Lott are perpetuating the practice of wasteful pork-barrel spending. Rather than part with his own and his colleagues’ pet projects, Senator McConnell announced his intention to offer an amendment that will reduce spending in the Omnibus bill by about two percent across the board, including earmarks. Trent Lott jumped to Senator McConnell’s defense, arguing that ‘Earmarks are justified and legitimate . . . I wouldn't give up my earmarks.’ We disagree. The earmarking process is inherently abusive. The earmarks are not subjected to committee hearings, competitive bidding, or other normal vetting processes. This is why the earmarking practice must end. We have even recently seen earmarks famously abused as a currency of corruption. Senators McConnell and Lott’s support for pork projects in the Omnibus is a sad statement about the priorities of the Republican Leadership in the Senate.”
