NewsTrust - Earmarks - Most Recent Stories: News (Independent)

We Should Care This Much About Earmarks? Really?

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Miller-McCune - By Lee Drutman - Nov. 18 (Special Report) - Earmarks are not a big deal, say political scientists. Most are perfectly justifiable, and they definitely aren't to blame for the 'eruption of spending' from Washington.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Stimulating Hypocrisy: Scores of Recovery Act Opponents Sought Money Out of Public View

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Center for Public Integrity - By John Solomon, Aaron Mehta - Oct. 17 (Special Report) - Rep. Pete Sessions, the firebrand conservative from Dallas, Texas, has relentlessly assailed the Democratic-passed stimulus law as a wasteful "trillion dollar spending spree" that was "more about stimulating the government and rewarding political allies than growing the economy and creating jobs." But that didn’t stop the Republican lawmaker from reaching his hand out behind the scenes to seek stimulus money for the suburb of Carrollton after the camera lights went dark and the GOP campaign against the 2009 stimulus law quieted down.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Shelby Blocks All Obama Nominations In The Senate Over AL Earmarks

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Talking Points Memo - By Evan McMorris-Santoro - Feb. 05 (News Report) - Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has put an extraordinary "blanket hold" on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate, according to multiple reports this evening. The hold means no nominations can move forward unless Senate Democrats can secure a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until Shelby lifts the hold.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

House GOP Health Group Stacked With Health Sector Campaign Cash

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Sunlight Foundation Blog - By Paul Blumenthal - Jul. 28 (News Report) - The House Republican group tasked with working on health care reform is packed with members who have received substantial campaign contributions from the health care sector. Seven members of the House GOP Health Care Solutions Group are in the top ten Republican recipients of health sector campaign cash since 1989. The Group seats the top four Republican recipients of health sector campaign contributions.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Little Airports Rely On Political Clout To Stay Aloft

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Congressional Quarterly - By Bennett Roth - Jun. 08 (Special Report) - ... the Murtha airport is one of many small-town airports — in districts represented by members from both parties — that have been heavily subsidized though federal grant programs, earmarks and the economic stimulus plan (PL 111-5).

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Obama White House vs. the Truth-O-Meter

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

PolitiFact - By Bill Adair - Apr. 23 (Special Report) - President Barack Obama and his top administration officials have faced the Truth-O-Meter 21 times since they took office, and they can claim a small victory: They haven't earned any Pants on Fire ratings. But their record for their first 100 days is far from perfect. We've given the Obama White House four False and two Barely True ratings. The Barely True ratings, along with a couple of the Half Trues, illustrate that the Obama White House has quickly learned the art of cherry-picking, selectively choosing the best scenarios and most favorable numbers for their claims.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 11 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Key Dems Back Public Option

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

In These Times - By Editor - Apr. 01 (News Report) - If AHSA became law, it would create a federal health insurance system administered by the states. The insurance program would give patients an unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals because their insurance would cover them everywhere.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Miller-McCune | Article | Political Scientists See Little Reason to Castigate Earmark System

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Miller-McCune - By Lee Drutman - Mar. 17 (Investigative Report) - "For one, earmarks (i.e. specific targeted requests for funding separate from the normal appropriations process) account for roughly 2 percent of all appropriations expenditures. (By contrast, the military budget accounts for more than half of all federal discretionary spending)."

NewsTrust Rating: 5.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

In the Stimulus Bill: An Earmark by Any Other Name

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Michael Grabell, Christopher Weaver - Feb. 09 (Special Report) - In theory and publicity, the package is "earmark free." But it contains dozens of narrowly defined programs that send money to specific areas or cater to special interests, despite President Obama's pledge to pass "an economic recovery plan that is free from earmarks and pet projects."

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

McCain Picks Up Where He Left Off on Earmarks, Lobbying

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Congressional Quarterly - By Jonathan Allen - Jan. 08 (News Report) - The Arizona Republican was on familiar turf Wednesday inside the Senate television studio — nine weeks and one day after losing the presidential election to Barack Obama — pushing for earmark and lobbying overhauls alongside longtime legislative partner Russ Feingold , a Wisconsin Democrat.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Arizona's Go-To Senator

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Independent - By John Dougherty - Aug. 19 (Special Report) - for complicated issues that require a proven ability to reach political consensus, patience and attention to detail, Arizona's leaders often seek out the state's junior senator, Republican Jon Kyl. While McCain has been in the national spotlight for more than a decade, focusing on broad issues, Arizona leaders know that he tends to brush aside state issues and condemn earmarks, even for needed local projects. Kyl, meanwhile, has regularly accomplished the heavy lifting on legislation that is honed to state needs.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Earmarks Decline in Senate, But Up in House

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Congressional Quarterly - By Liriel Higa - Aug. 19 (News Report) - The Senate has trimmed the amount of earmarks in its fiscal 2009 spending bills, but the House has increased its total slightly from last year, according to an analysis released Monday by a group that advocates curbing the practice.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What's in the 2007 Farm Bill?

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:51:19 -0800

All Things Conservative - By Bill Crawford - Nov. 14 (News Analysis) - The Senate (S.2302) and House (H.R.2419) are considering similar versions of the Food and Energy Security Act of 2007, or the Farm Bill as I like to call it. According to the CBO, the bill will "increase direct spending...by $3.2 billion over the 2008-2012 period and $3.3 billion over the 2008-2017 period."

NewsTrust Rating: 2.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What the Dutch Can Teach Us About Weathering the Next Katrina

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Mother Jones - By John McQuaid - Aug. 28 (Special Report) - Two years after Katrina exposed the fragility of the hurricane levees and the system that made them, the city remains exposed and vulnerable. Since Katrina, the Corps has embarked on an ambitious program to repair and fortify the levee system by 2011, one whose price tag keeps rising. Last week, Corps officials announced they would be asking Congress for an additional $7.6 billion, bringing the project total to $14.7 billion of improvements: compacted clay and mud, concrete armoring, floodgates, and pumping stations. It's a clear upgrade from the shoddy pre-Katrina system. It includes, for example, a proposed floodgate on the Intracoastal Waterway, which should provide a measure of protection for the Old Gentilly Landfill and the residents nearby.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

CQ Today - Earmark for France? Looks that Way, But Not Really

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:22:03 -0700

Congressional Quarterly - By Jonathan Allen - Jul. 30 (News Report) - It's not unusual for a member of Congress to earmark money for a facility outside his or her district -- even in another state. But another country? The House Appropriations Committee report on the 2008 Agriculture spending bill (HR 3161) includes this seemingly curious entry in its earmark-disclosure section: "Olive Fruit Fly, Montpelier [sic], France."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Earmarks benefit Lewis' D.C. home

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:01:24 -0700

Press-Enterprise - By Ben Goad - Jul. 26 (News Report) - In the past four years, Rep. Jerry Lewis has helped steer $2.75 million dollars toward the revitalization of a neighborhood that lies thousands of miles from his Inland Southern California district, but only blocks from his Washington home, according to records and interviews with those close to the project. Last month, a fellow House Republican challenged Lewis' move to insert $500,000 into a federal spending bill to pay for improvements to a Capitol Hill area train station and adjacent park. The improvements represent the culmination of a years-long effort to re-establish Barracks Row, a once-proud neighborhood anchored by the nation's first U.S. Marine Corps post.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What's in the HHS-Labor-Education Bill (earmarks)?

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:08:37 -0700

All Things Conservative - By Bill Crawford - Jul. 18 (News Analysis) - The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved H.R. 3043, a $607 billion budget for the Departments of Labor-HHS-Education (FY2008). The bill includes $565 million in earmarks, and exceeds President Bush's request by $10.6 billion. Earmarks include:

NewsTrust Rating: 4.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer