Boehner Hails Passage of GOP Motion to Strip Earmarks From Intelligence Bill, Renews Call for Vote on GOP Earmark Reforms
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) hailed House passage of a GOP proposal last night directing House conferees to strike all earmarks in the Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 2082) – including the controversial National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) earmark requested by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA). The GOP proposal – a motion-to-instruct conferees – passed with the support of all House Republicans and 62 Democrats who crossed the aisle to back a proposal to redirect earmark funding toward U.S. human intelligence activities instead. Boehner issued the following statement:
“The bipartisan approval of this proposal is great news, both for the House Republicans’ war on wasteful earmarks and America’s War on Terror, but it will only become a true victory if Democratic leaders choose to embrace the will of the House over the politics of pork. Should they opt to ignore the mandate given to them with this important vote yesterday, they will have once again broken their pledge on fiscal discipline and earmark reform and weakened our national security. The choice is clear.
“This vote clearly demonstrates that a bipartisan majority of the House supports the Republican legislation to close the earmark loopholes and require complete transparency and accountability in both tax and authorization bills. Unfortunately, while Republicans were successful in forcing the Majority to adopt our earmark reforms for appropriations bills, Democratic leaders have refused to allow an open debate and a recorded vote on the reforms we need to bring sunlight and scrutiny to pork-barrel spending in all bills brought before the House. Enough is enough. It’s time to put an end to secretive, wasteful spending and worthless pork.”
NOTE: House Republican Leader John Boehner’s discharge petition to force a vote on H.Res.479 currently has 197 signatures. 218 are required to force a debate and vote on the House floor.
