Does anyone know if Pelosi's lobbying reforms will stop "earmarking?"

[Clarkie1]

That practice seems to be a big source of corruption and waste. The way I read her "new rules" nothing could be added to a bill in the way of an earmark. Is this a correct reading of her proposals?

[Eric J in MN]

1. From a Wall St. Journal article

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115275238530405237-o0DN22_G_xF5ysLlMOTmDWonlDU_20060811.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

If she becomes speaker in the next Congress, she says, she would press to severely reduce earmarks. "Personally, myself, I'd get rid of all of them," she says. "None of them is worth the skepticism, the cynicism the public has... and the fiscal irresponsibility of it."

The California Democrat anticipates some resistance from within her party...

[Clarkie1]

2. Thanks. Is there any explanation of how the earmark process works procedurally anywhere? nt

[Recursion]

3. How does it work? The short answer is: it doesn't

It's not a specifically authorized appropriation by Congress and there's something of a "gentlemans and ladies agreement" among the parties not to mess with them.

Congress appropriates money to the various government agencies and generally doesn't tell them how to spend it -- after all, it's not Congress's job to worry about all the minutiae of management; they are supposed to set policy and do oversight while the executive does the actual implementation.

However, there has always been to some extent the practice of Congresscritters "suggesting" to the executive that a certain amount of money in an appropriation be "earmarked" or set aside for a pet project the Congresscritter has. Since the Congresscritter is the one who decides how much money that agency gets next year, that "suggestion" usually has the force of an order.

Now, as long as this was kept at a low level and under the radar, it wasn't that bad. A little backscratching oiled the gears of democracy, you might say. The problem is that since '94 earmarks have reached substantial levels, to the point that the operational budget appropriations they are earmarked in are starting to feel the pinch from the earmarks. Nobody really cares if you set aside $60,000 out of $600,000,000; people do start to notice if 20 Members do that.

I hope NP can stop this; I'm worried our own caucus is going to sell us out on this, sadly.

[Clarkie1]

4. If our caucus sells us out on this then they deserve to be kicked out, too!

Maybe if every 2 years they all get kicked out poltiicians will eventually get the message!