Rep. Joe Pitts Swears Off Earmarks
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA-16) has sworn off earmarks for the FY09 budget cycle. Actually, Pitts swore off solo budget earmarks last year, so already, he's well ahead of his colleagues in fighting for meaningful reform.
Here's a quote from a recent op-ed by Pitts:
I and many Republicans in the House have gone even further and decided to stop requesting earmarks. I will not be requesting earmarks this year.
[...] Editorial pages around the country have begun to take the Democrats to task for their inaction. The San Francisco Chronicle, Speaker Pelosi’s hometown newspaper, wrote, "Democrats are on the wrong side of an issue they once so passionately championed."
In July 2006, Pelosi said to the Wall Street Journal, “Personally, myself, I’d get rid of all of them. None of them is worth the skepticism, the cynicism the public has . . . and the fiscal irresponsibility of it.” Yet she remains silent now, even as her own Committee Chairmen begin to agree with the need for reform.
The public deserves to know that their hard earned tax dollars are appropriated in an open, transparent, and honest manner. House Republicans will continue to use procedural measures to force the Democrats to vote on these reforms because this issue is fundamentally important to the public’s trust in Congress.
Congratulations to Rep. Pitts for being a leading voice on this issue and for having the courage to stop the addictive practice of earmarking.
Posted at Andrew Roth at 10:31 AM | TrackBack
