A coalition of liberal and conservative watchdog groups is asking members of Congress to open Capitol Hill’s earmark requests to the public.
The call for members to disclose their appropriations requests online came as debate surrounding the earmarking process reached a fever pitch. House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) Monday announced he would disclose his committee’s earmarks via the Congressional Record later this summer — in response, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday proposed reintroducing reforms from last Congress.
Concerns about Obey’s position on earmarks disclosure, as well as the deluge of requests burdening his staff, inspired the coalition of watchdogs to take action. The chairman estimated that his office has received more than 30,000 requests for earmarks.
“At this point, this is the only way we can learn what might get funded,” said Ed Frank, vice president for public affairs for Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a budget watchdog leading the drive. “If taxpayers are being asked to fund a local project, taxpayers should be able to know about it.”
AFP has sent out a pledge to every House member’s office, asking lawmakers to offer their signatures as guarantees that they will disclose all earmark requests on their websites. In addition, the coalition, comprised of AFP, OMB Watch, the Sunlight Foundation and Taxpayers for Common Sense, is reconnecting with representatives who have posted such information online in the past.
The coalition’s pledge drive is similar to an effort launched last month by another watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste, asking members to disclose their earmark requests.
At least 600 individuals have contacted their members through AFP’s website about the pledge, according to Frank. The Sunlight Foundation is recruiting more volunteers to call members.
“Have they lived up so far? No, they haven’t complied with the spirit of transparency to give advance notice to the public,” said Gabriela Schneider, a spokeswoman for the Sunlight Foundation, when asked about Congress’s earlier earmark reforms this year.
So far, budget hawk Rep. Jeff Flake is the only lawmaker to sign the pledge, though he does not make earmark requests. The Arizona Republican plans to encourage others to sign, according to an aide.
Last week, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter that urged colleagues to disclose their earmark requests. Issa has disclosed his requests for the last two fiscal years on his website.
“Even if a member’s request is not granted, it shows what they requested and maybe they will think twice in requesting it in the future if it is seen as wasteful spending,” a spokesman for Issa, Frederick Hill, said.
Issa is one of a small number of Democrats and Republicans who have disclosed their earmark requests in the past, either by posting them to their website or releasing them to interested reporters.
Hill said Issa has reservations about signing the pledge due to its time constraints, though he applauds the push for transparency.
“We have done this for the past two years but it is tough to do it within 72 hours” as the pledge requires, Hill said.
Another member who has not yet committed to sign the pledge is freshman Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). Gillibrand has disclosed her requests for this fiscal year by posting a 26-page document on her website.
“We have shown very good faith and we are working with” watchdog groups such as the Sunlight Foundation, a Gillibrand spokeswoman, Rachel McEneny, said. She pointed to other disclosures the congresswoman has made, such as outlining her day calendar and plans to post her financial disclosure statement online.
“It does open yourself up to more criticism,” McEneny said, but “when the congresswoman ran, she ran on transparency and accountability.”
The vice president for Taxpayers for Common Sense, Steve Ellis, laid out the importance of describing earmarks requests, most of which are obscured from public view, although those granted are printed in passed legislation.
“We know what they actually get, but not what they actually request. By [Obey’s] statements, there seems to be some untoward or inappropriate requests being made,” said Ellis, who wondered which earmarks were left on the cutting-room floor.
The pledge drive fits in with another push AFP is making with Porkbusters, a coalition of bloggers who advocate against federal spending. The two groups have posted a petition recruiting the public to help Obey and his staff review the tens of thousands of earmark requests sitting with his committee.
Frank has been happy with the support so far — about 250 signed in the petition’s early hours on the Internet.
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