In an email message to donors yesterday, Congressman Marchant proudly announced that the GOP Conference created “a 10 member earmark reform panel with the responsibility of completing a report that makes recommendations to House Republicans on how to reform the process of requesting earmarks.” He then goes on to talk about what a problem earmarks have become:
The status quo was simply unacceptable, particularly with large budget deficits and the economic issues facing our country. In the upcoming 111th Congress, I look forward to continuing my track record as a champion of fiscal responsibility and restraint.
His track record, of course, includes $5,200,000 in earmarks tacked on to the Defense appropriations bill. But in Congressional Republicanese, that’s fiscal responsibility and restraint. I mean, he didn’t tack on $10 million or $20 million, right? The full email after the break:
Special Bulletin: November 20, 2008
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House GOP Approves Earmark Moratorium
During a meeting of the entire House Republican Conference, we approved an amendment to our rules that will create a 10 member earmark reform panel with the responsibility of completing a report that makes recommendations to House Republicans on how to reform the process of requesting earmarks. In the interim, a moratorium on requests for earmarks for House Republican members will remain in place.
The move by the House Republican Conference is important because it demonstrates a sincere commitment to the American people to deal with one of the underlying problems in Washington: government waste of taxpayer money. Though the earmark process is not the only source of government waste, I hope this will lead to a Congress-wide effort to drastically reform and bring transparency to the earmark process.
The status quo was simply unacceptable, particularly with large budget deficits and the economic issues facing our country. In the upcoming 111th Congress, I look forward to continuing my track record as a champion of fiscal responsibility and restraint.
I am honored to represent the 24th District of Texas, and appreciate your interest in my e-newsletter. Please contact my District or DC office with any further questions you may have or visit my website at www.marchant.house.gov.
M
Kenny Marchant
Member of Congress
�
With a laundry list of infrastructure improvements (two Trinity Projects, a regional rail system, expanding current water districts, hospital and school districts that take on more and more customers every year), I doubt any congressman from North Texas will be too much of a hard ass when it comes to ear mark and appropriations reform.
I’m extremely skeptical. I mean, is this an actual moratorium on earmarks, or a promise to hide them better when they attach them to a bill?
They were no Kinks, and their clothes were certainly silly, but “Pictures of Matchstick Men” was an enduringly groovy tune.
Nathan, if you will click on the Seattle Times report linked in the previous post on earmarks, you will see that the Dallas delegation’s earmarks went to private companies, not public projects. That means they were not requested by the Defense Dept and not part of the Appropriations process. They were, in essence, gifts to lobbyists. If a project is worthy and needed, surely the relevant department would include it in its budget request. If Congress disagreed, surely thet place to do it is through the appropriations process. Earmarks are an invitation to corporate favoritism and corruption.
I’m just sick and tired of these kinds of emails and announcement from our elected officials. I guess someday soon these guys will figure out that we’re not as stupid as they think we are. The internets is the worst possible thing that could happen to a guy like Marchant, because it makes available the full analysis of how his actions oppose his words.
If they were serious about this they’d put somebody besides themselves on the “reform panel”. I volunteer. I’m one of Marchant’s constiuents who appears to not be important enough to receive such gripping correspondence.
yeah, right: You have to sign up to receive the gripping correspondence. Do it here:
http://www.marchant.house.gov/index.shtm
You’ll receive maybe one a month. Or less, now that the election is over. Yes he won, but not by a landslide vs. Dem Tom Love.
You might disagree with Cong. Marchant’s political bent, or his approach to helping obtain earmark funding for North Texas defense contractors but it’s ludicrous to imply he would do so based on a campaign contribution. When he was in the Texas Legislature I worked as the staff assistant to the liberal Democrat he shared on office with and saw him during hundreds of unguarded hours. The guy has more integrity than anyone I have ever met.
Say what you will about the other stuff….. I would literally bet my left..arm.. his actions had nothing to do with some campaign contribution.
My impression of Marchant is that he is shockingly stupid. Integrity? What’s that whole Marchant foundation all about?
actually, none of those earmarks were requested by rep. marchant. furthermore, he has never received an earmark either.
sometime members join on to earmarks requests to help another member get an earmark. none of those earmarks was in rep. marchant’s district