The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Austria: No earmarks again this year

Hope Ride pedals inspiration
7/31/10
Stafford: In the good-old summer
7/31/10
McGinn dunked for good... cause
7/31/10
Cottrel: When a drip turns into a renovation
7/31/10
Champaign County Senior center hopes voters renew levy
7/31/10
> More headlines

E-mail this page

By By Jack Torry and Jonathan Riskind, Washington Bureau 6:56 PM Thursday, March 11, 2010

WASHINGTON — Republican Steve Austria of Beavercreek Thursday, March 11, said he will not ask for earmarks again this year, the second consecutive year he has refused to request them.

Austria joined most House Republicans in a voice vote in a closed-door meeting to ban all earmark requests for one year. The vote, spearheaded by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, came just one day after House Democrats decided to end steering earmarks toward companies that make profit.

Although Austria did not rule out asking for earmarks next year, he said in a statement that “the earmark process is broken.’’ He urged the creation of a more transparent system so that “deserving” requests — identified by Austria as those that strengthen national security — “can be fairly reviewed and debated.”

Earmarking allows a lawmaker to insert into a spending bill additional money for a project or company in his district. In the 2010 federal spending year, lawmakers from both parties were responsible for $15.9 billion in earmarks, which is a tiny fraction of the annual federal budget.

In addition to Austria and Boehner, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, said he supported the one-year ban. In a statement, Jordan complained that “earmarks have become a symbol of what most Americans believe is wrong in Washington, D.C.’’

“Federal spending is out of control, we’re borrowing from our children to pay for today’s overspending, and the priorities of Congress are completely out of line with the American public,’’ Jordan said.

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

Read your Constitution. "Nothing" or as near to it as possible is what the Federal Government is supposed to be doing. You are so used to a government answer for every one of life's problems that "Nothing" is unacceptable.
Do yourself a favor and read the 5000 Year Leap. Maybe then you will understand the role for the Federal Government that the founders invisioned.

Ken
5:43 PM, 3/12/2010

REPORT ABUSE

Keep boehner and his 2 little brothers in office till everyone is making $8/hour

rocketman
2:44 PM, 3/12/2010

REPORT ABUSE

not about earmarks - they are despicable. It's about doing nothing, offering nothing new but the same old tired sound bytes and NO after No after NO.
***** and Jordan were in lockstep with GW and this is where we have landed. Went from surplus to deficit with these clowns while they stripped our freedoms by calling it patriotic.

rocketman
2:42 PM, 3/12/2010

REPORT ABUSE

Good for you Steve Austria! Thank you for your
earnest pledge to not be apart of pork spending and crooked deals, which has taken over our government. I wish we had more people in Washington like you. In time, we will vote out the liberal spending at our expense. Keep up the good work and keep us informed with your town hall telepone calls.
Great Job!

Katie
11:36 AM, 3/12/2010

REPORT ABUSE

It would appear that most of the respondents to this article have become too comfortable standing at that trough waiting for their next Federal government reward. Wake up people, these pork payments have helped put us in the financial situation we are in as a nation and as a community. If you think voting out those who oppose this under the table process is the answer, it only proves how addicted you are to the process.

Ken
9:26 AM, 3/12/2010

REPORT ABUSE

There are 7 additional comments

SHOW ALL

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.