GOP Leaders Ignore Tea Party's Calls For Earmark Ban

It's official: GOP leaders in the House and Senate have both confirmed that they will buck calls from the Tea Party and not back a ban on federal earmarks.

House Republican leader John Boehner addressed the issue Thursday night during an interview with Fox News, stating that he approved of a temporary moratorium on congressional earmarks but would not pursue a complete ban.

BAIER: The guys in line to be Chairman [of the Appropriations Committee], they're big fans of earmarks.

BOEHNER: There's gonna be an earmark moratorium, it's pretty clear.

BAIER: Why not an outright ban?

BOEHNER: Only because some things that people call earmarks here wouldn't classify as an earmark to the American people.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) was similarly dismissive of the idea during a speech at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday, arguing that an earmark ban would be unproductive, then turning his criticism toward Obama.

You can eliminate every congressional earmark and you would save no money. It's really an argument about discretion. We decide how much we're going to spend either when we pass a budget or in the case of this past year when we don't pass a budget, we produce a top-line for the discretionary spending. That top-line determines what gets spent. Beneath the top-line there are arguments going back to Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson between the executive branch and the legislative branch over sayso.... That's been a much-discussed issue on the campaign trail, and we'll take a look at it when we get back. But I'm sure the President would love to have a legislative blank check.

Tea Party activists and some conservative legislators have aggressively opposed members of Congress carving out spending projects for their home districts and states, and some have publicly announced that an earmark ban would be a primary mission.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a hero of conservatives, said Wednesday that such an understaking should be a priority in both the House and the Senate.

"We can't have 500 congressmen and senators who think it's their job to bring home the bacon -- and that's what's going to change," Demint told CBS's "The Early Show." "One of the first things we'll do in the House and Senate is ban earmarks as Republicans -- that'll get our eyes back on fixing our tax code, fixing social security and Medicare, getting America back to work."

Comments

[Oniweeki]

08:56 AM on 11/08/2010

I've always thought the Republicans were hypocrites, saying one thing while doeing another. But If they could do this one thing, (earmark ban), They would up their credibility with the american people tremendously. I won't be holding my breath.

[nypapajoe]

08:52 AM on 11/08/2010

Let's thank the US Supreme Court for opening to flood gates to foreign investors and greed plus corruption! All in the name of being Patriotic for the American People! What a Crock! It's embarrassing, it's unbelievable, it's outrageous, No it's disgusting to allow for these lobbyist of the rich and corporations manipulate you the public into believing their pathetic pandering to your Patriotic Fever! These masters of deception took you guys on a American Flag waving parade and you guys ate it up like children in a amusement park! None of you and I mean none of you will benefit from any legislation to enhanse your lifestyle! The only ones that are going to benefit are the wealthy elite the multi-nationals corporations and foreign investors! The tea baggers sold you guys out! Just ask $arah who has accumulated Millions and her next stop besides her book tours and television show is to run for president! But where does that leave you? Well at least you got a Flag! Start waving!!!

[grf67]

05:40 AM on 11/08/2010

mcconnell and boehner and the friendsignor everyone but the big companies and the wealthy who pile money on them. Why do repubs hate Americans?

[Hurloon]

12:19 AM on 11/08/2010

Imagine you have $1 million to spend for your nation in your model UN class project. You decide to spend $5,000 of it on local projects, and the other $995,000 on everything else.

If your assigned nation was the United States of America, congratulations! You picked the same ratio as is found in the actual US budget!

[IHateTheGOP]

10:54 PM on 11/07/2010

Check out the videos of tea party folk, you'll crack up!
http://www.teapartytracker.org/

[katylied]

09:52 PM on 11/07/2010

Only because some things that people call earmarks here wouldn't classify as an earmark to the American people.

He forgot to add, only if it isn't in their district, then it's an earmark.

[moose and squirrel]

01:24 AM on 11/08/2010

ha ha yeah that was the first i ever heard about that. not surprised they'd be splitting hairs about definitions once they got into a positon of power

[mancoff]

09:43 PM on 11/07/2010

The old guard republicans in charge in congress are going to kick the tea baggers as--s to the curb now that they don't need them any more. The good white boys club will take in Rubio and one or two others and make them feel important and the rest of the tea baggers will be shoved aside. Rubio and the chosen few will go along with the republican leadership in exchange for power and recognition. You can bet by 2012 elections, karl rove and his merry band of thieves in Washington will be in charge again and names like Bachmann, Palin, DeMint will mean nothing and the tea bag party will have no power what so ever.............

[the964kid]

09:12 PM on 11/07/2010

How many days until baggers realize they were duped?

[moose and squirrel]

01:24 AM on 11/08/2010

they are going to be in denial for 2 years

[gialla]

03:14 AM on 11/08/2010

meant understand

[gialla]

03:14 AM on 11/08/2010

dopes are too dumb to uderstand dupe

[the964kid]

11:21 AM on 11/08/2010

thats definitely true.

[phill273]

07:34 PM on 11/07/2010

Earmark bans will do NOTHING to solve our fiscal mess. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and Defense are where the problems lie. Nothing will be solved until those 4 are fixed, as they are 60% of the budget.

[MSELLIE]

09:21 AM on 11/08/2010

YEA, AND DOES NOTHING TO PROVIDE JOBS!

[RuleofLawNow]

06:35 PM on 11/07/2010

These "differences" will not last. The Bagger anger is really focused on the reality of a Black President. Let's be honest...there will not be any differences of consequence in the days to come. Rand Paul holding McConnell to account for anything in public? Not likely.

[the964kid]

09:12 PM on 11/07/2010

True.

[rgilley]

06:34 PM on 11/07/2010

The GOP leaders are not ignoring the "Tea Party" they are rightfully ignoring the far right fringe of thier party as they always do and rightfully so. At least these corporatist Republicans know enough to quiet the wackos who project the real goals of the Republican party. Of course there are the DeMints and Pauls in the party who are not intelegent enough to actually govern so they will play to the low information voters via the Tea Party fringe.

[CubanVoice]

05:18 PM on 11/07/2010

The ONLY positive to come out of these elections...the entertainment value of in-fighting within the repug party. While Americans suffer the overall cleless ness and lack of interest repugs have in their well-being, while they sit home looking for jobs that dont exist, they can get the side benefit of watching the sideshow, cannibalism.

[ztck5356]

04:25 PM on 11/07/2010

The tea party is in for a reality check. The Republicans are going to "diss" them too!

Can't wait to see how this plays out!

[Edward Standley]

03:17 PM on 11/07/2010

Ban earmarks? Ok, you go first.

[bmike]

03:02 PM on 11/07/2010

They need that earmark issue to run on in 2 years.They work spending just like abortion,much talk no action.