House GOP Passes Earmark Ban

One of the big problems with pork spending is its 'everyone does it' 't nature. Why should one politician force his constituents to pay for other people's crap when they don't get anything for their money? It's a vicious cycle that's hard to break.

Well today the House GOP took action to do just that.

House Republicans approved a conference-wide moratorium on earmarks on Thursday, one day after a House committee enacted a ban on for-profit earmarks.

The Republicans' moratorium is more extensive than the House Appropriations Committee's ban in that it applies to all earmarks for all members of the caucus.

...House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) hailed the decision in an interview on Fox News.

"Republicans did something very dramatic today that's going to make it very uncomfortable for business as usual," he said. "So now House Republicans are going to the American people and saying we want a clean break from the runaway spending in the past. And that's going to be quite a contrast from this Congress and the administration."

It's hard to get to excited about the actual dollar amount (earmarks in total are about $16 billion in spending) but this is a very big philosophical and political point.

Given their profligate ways while in power Republicans had lost their claim to fiscal conservatism. This action is a good start towards regaining it.

It's also a big victory for the White Power, Tea Party movement. I'm suspicious of people who claim to want to cut spending, usually the mean spending others want, not theirs. The Republicans have put their, well our, money where their mouths are. Hopefully, they will be rewarded at the polls and be embolden to take on the really big ticket spending items.

For now, well done to the House GOP.

posted by DrewM. at 01:27 PM

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