For Immediate Release – December 21, 2007

Contact: Phil Kerpen, (202) 349-5880

WASHINGTON - The grassroots free-market group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) today joined 17 other groups in calling on President Bush to send a strong message against wasteful earmarks by instructing Agencies to ignore those earmarks buried in committee report language. Earlier this week AFP strongly condemned the 3,417 page monster omnibus appropriations bill, which is larded with over 9,000 pork-barrel earmarks despite being subject to little or no scrutiny.
 
“The rushed way in which Congress passed the omnibus – one of the largest pieces of legislation ever considered – made a mockery of our legislative process, and Congress itself bears the responsibility and shame for that,” the organizations wrote in a letter to President Bush. “But you have the power to send a message both to Congress and the American people that the waste and corrupting influence of earmarks will not be tolerated.”

The letter comes on the heels of a Dec. 20 news conference at which President Bush noted the omnibus bill contained many wasteful earmarks and that he would instruct Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle to “review options for dealing with the wasteful spending in the omnibus bill.” The letter also noted that a Dec. 18 review by the Congressional Research Service concluded that language contained in committee reports is not legally binding on executive agencies and therefore the President can issue an executive order with respect to those earmarks only contained in committee reports.

“Such an action is within your Constitutional powers, and would strike a blow for fiscal responsibility now while setting a valuable precedent for the future,” the signatories wrote to President Bush. “Tell Congress and the American public that the era of earmarks is over… The American taxpayers will applaud such an action, as will the many honest legislators in Congress who are trying to fight the broken and corrupt appropriations machine.”

Congress has funded over 11,000 earmarks this year, many of which are contained in report language, further removing them from proper review and scrutiny. While the number of earmarks have been decreased and more transparency has been brought to the process more reforms are needed.

“This omnibus is an insult to hard-working American taxpayers who make good budget decisions at home only to watch Congress squander their money on wasteful pet projects,” said
AFP Policy Director Phil Kerpen. “Even more outrageous is the fact that Congress only allowed a mere 24 hours for public review prior to this bill being voted on. President Bush can stand up for taxpayers by instructing his Agency heads to refuse to fund non-legislative earmarks.”

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

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