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Some RSC members want to carry earmark fight further |
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By Jackie Kucinich
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Posted: 06/20/07 08:00 PM [ET] |
House Republicans celebrated last week after forcing Democrats to retool their plans for inserting earmarks into the 12 appropriations bills. But some GOP lawmakers feel that their leadership ended the fight prematurely.
The Republican Study Committee led the floor fight that stymied Democratic plans to insert earmarks into spending bills only after the requests reached the House-Senate conference committees. Some RSC lawmakers believed that they could have garnered more political capital by continuing the fight.
"Many members thought we could have pushed it farther than we did," said a Republican lawmaker who asked not to be identified.
Another lawmaker said, "A day-long fight doesn’t help us re-brand our party as fiscal conservatives.”
The deal reached by Republican and Democratic leadership last Thursday allowed the Homeland Security and Military Construction spending bills to move through the House with no earmarks under unanimous consent with limited debate. But the remaining 10 bills will include a list of requested projects before they reach the floor.
Under the deal, lawmakers will be permitted to raise a point of order if a bill has earmarks that were added only in conference.
Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), praised the members who were committed to keeping up the battle.
“Having Members who are this engaged and fired-up to do battle with Democrats is a problem of riches and a good sign of things to come,” said Kennedy. “We have more work to do, but this was a great victory for the entire Republican Conference and for American taxpayers.”
RSC member John Campbell (R-Calif.) echoed Boehner’s thoughts.
“We are going to keep this fight going,” he said. “We are not going to relent pointing out their budget and spending and tax reversals.”
But uncertainty among the group was also evident after the deal was brokered on Thursday evening, when nearly a dozen RSC members took to the floor to inquire further about the agreement.
Some complained that they had not been fully briefed about the agreement's details after it was brokered between Boehner, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.), according to sources familiar with discussions on the floor.
"[Members] wanted to hear what they had put some blood, sweat and tears [into]," Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) said, explaining that RSC members wanted to make sure the terms were on the record.
"Trust but verify," he said, quoting former President Ronald Reagan.
Other members have privately grumbled that when the GOP leaders began negotiating with Hoyer and Obey, they settled too quickly and then received credit for the successful political offensive.
That said, most members of the group said they supported Boehner and the deal he struck.
"Leader Boehner did a great job and [he and] the RSC are all winners in the end," Hensarling said.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) agreed, saying, “Boehner was a big part of the fight. On day one, he established his three demands and at the end of the week he got them all.”
Although he was not in the room when negotiations between Boehner and Hoyer occurred, Hensarling said he was consulted several times during the day as the truce was crafted.
He hesitated to call the agreement between Boehner and the Democrats a "deal," because he said Democrats could still renege on their promises. He warned that the RSC has no problem going back to the floor with another stack of amendments.
"We are going to monitor it," he said.
The RSC initially began the protest when they charged that Democrats were trying to limit transparency regarding the inclusion of earmarks in the 2007 appropriations bills.
Once RSC members learned of the Democratic plans, they decided to protest.
While the success of the agreement was largely attributed to the cool head and steady hand of Boehner, RSC members were quick to point out it was Hensarling and the RSC who initially led the charge.
“Almost 85 percent of the speakers on the House floor that day were RSC members, “ an RSC member observed.
Said another Republican lawmaker: “Jeb Hensarling deserves the credit for the win 100 percent."
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