WASHINGTON - Democrats tidying up a cluster of unfinished spending bills dumped on them by departing Republican leaders in Congress will start by removing billions of dollars in lawmakersâ?? pet projects next month.
The move, orchestrated by the incoming chairman of the Appropriations committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate, could prove politically savvy even as it proves unpopular with other members of Congress. As a group, they will lose thousands of so-called earmarks, personal projects inserted in legislation during the process of preparing it for passage.
"There will be no congressional earmarks," Rep. David Obey and Sen. Robert Byrd, both Democrats, said Monday in a statement announcing their plans. The idea was quickly endorsed by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The Democrats will end pork? Then they will get rid of all the lobbyists and tackle corruption, I suppose. Robert Byrd is telling me there will be no earmarks? Looks like I'm going to be pope sooner than I expected.
