Dems to Wipe Out Pet Projects in Bills

Democrats tidying up a cluster of unfinished spending bills dumped on them by departing Republican leaders in Congress will start by removing billions of dollars in lawmakers' pet projects next month.

The move, orchestrated by the incoming chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, could prove politically savvy even as it proves unpopular with other members of Congress, who as a group will lose thousands of so-called earmarks.

``There will be no congressional earmarks,'' Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said Monday in a statement announcing their plans, which were quickly endorsed by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Earmarks are congressionally mandated projects such as grants for local governments, home-state universities and hospitals, roads, bridges and flood control construction, and economic development efforts not included in the president's spending proposals.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6274382,00.html

Bob Byrd could pronounce earmarks dead.

They're just resting.

Eventually, they will return.

into bills that have nothing to do with these personal interests. Nice start, Dems! :thumbsup:

the piper has to be paid eventually.
paybacks really are gonna suck now.

Thanks to the gluttonous overspending of g.w. bush, those U.S. Government Credit Cards you're all carrying will have to be cut into teeny tiny pieces.

Amen

Talk about pay back to Replugs no health care for veterans yet no-bid contracts to replug companies to rebuilt hospitals in New Orleans and Mississippi

They declared earmarks dead for good? Or only the earmarks in the bills that were dumped on them?