Panel’s overhaul of earmark practices appears to have an effect
Appropriators are reporting a large reduction in earmark requests for fiscal 2007.
As Republican leaders mull a systemwide crackdown on earmarks, House Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., has been overhauling his panel's practices, and it appears to be having an impact.
Requests for seven of the 10 subcommittees are down a whopping 42.6 percent from this time last year, National Journal reports in its Friday edition. According to committee tallies completed last Friday, fiscal 2007 earmark requests amounted to 15,470.
That is a steep decline from last year's total of 26,954 for the seven subcommittees reporting: Agriculture, Energy and Water, Foreign Operations, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS and Transportation-Treasury.
A panel spokesman said overall fiscal 2006 earmarks were down $2.8 billion from the previous year, and that fewer requests this year would build on that effort.
Last Thursday was the deadline for House Republicans to submit their earmark requests. "What April 15 is to accountants, today is to lobbyists," said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a fervent earmark critic. Lewis' internal changes could blunt some criticism, however, including his instructions to subcommittee chairmen to sharply limit the number of requests.
The Defense, Science-State-Justice and Military Quality of Life panels have not yet tabulated their requests, which could alter the results. But the seven panels that have finished compiling the requests provide an indication of the appetite for earmarks compared to last year.
The biggest percentage reduction is in the bill with accounts that are traditionally loaded with earmarks. Requests for the Transportation-Treasury Appropriations Subcommittee, which also funds popular HUD economic and community development projects, were down 55.8 percent, to 2,383 from 5,393 in fiscal 2006.
With fewer requests, the bill this year probably will continue a trend of reduced spending on earmarks in the bill -- down $1.5 billion in fiscal 2006 from the previous year.
Keith Ashdown, spokesman for Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the numbers show improvement but are still "well above historical averages" and do not get to the root of the problem, which is transparency. "You could still have a [convicted former Rep. Randy] Duke Cunningham lurking in the shadows of Congress" if lawmakers do not institute rules requiring disclosure of project sponsors. Cunningham, a California Republican, was convicted of taking bribes in return for earmarks.
The Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee continues to receive the most requests. This year, the panel received 5,869 requests, down from 10,272 last year, a 42.9 percent drop. That total appears likely to be whittled down considerably, as demands for priorities such as low-income energy subsidies crowd out earmarks.
Requests for Energy and Water earmarks, also very popular, are down the least of all seven subcommittees, by 19.8 percent to 2,864 from 3,572 last year. In contrast to most of the other panels, Energy and Water earmarks actually increased by $760 million in fiscal 2006, up about 40 percent from fiscal 2005.
Other subcommittee requests are as follows: Agriculture -- 1,623, 32 percent below last year; Foreign Operations -- 273, 37.4 percent down; Homeland Security -- 561, a 54.9 percent drop; Interior -- 1,947, down 47.8 percent from last year.