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Bush slams earmarks after signing omnibus |
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By Klaus Marre
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Posted: 12/26/07 01:51 PM [ET] |
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President Bush on Wednesday signed the omnibus spending bill but criticized Congress for inserting nearly 9,800 earmarks into the funding measure. “I am disappointed in the way the Congress compiled this legislation, including abandoning the goal I set early this year to reduce the number and cost of earmarks by half,” Bush said in a statement. He called the earmarks, which total more than $10 billion, a “vehicle for wasteful government spending.” Bush also noted that the measure does not provide all the funding he requested for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Congress should quickly take action next year to provide the remainder of the funding needed by our troops,” he stated. Earlier, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel, who said Congress has “an addiction to earmarks,” told reporters aboard Air Force One that Office of Management and budget Director Jim Nussle is looking “at avenues by which the federal government can address those earmarks.” |
