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Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) joined several House Republicans Tuesday by promising not to request any earmarks in appropriations bills this year. “We have a problem in Congress,” said Waxman in a statement on his website. “Congressional spending through earmarks is out of control.” GOP leadership in the House has continually pushed for more reforms in the earmarking process this year. Several members of the party have promised to refrain from asking for the pet projects typically placed in spending bills. In his statement, Waxman noted that, when he was first elected to Congress in the 1970s, there were few if any earmarks signed off by Capitol Hill. But by fiscal year 2005, there were more than of 15,800 projects totaling $27 billion in the 13 appropriations bills that year, according to the Congressional Research Service. The California Democrat praised House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) for cutting down on earmarks last year from the 2005 levels. But Waxman still feels the process is still in dire need of reform and does not stop at just calling for the end of his own earmarks this year, but other lawmakers’ as well. “I think our best approach would be to suspend all earmarks for the 2009 appropriations cycle while we consider the right reforms for the earmark process,” said Waxman. Waxman said he looks forward to working with Obey and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on helping to achieve those reforms. |
