Public Campaign Action Fund - earmarks

Protecting the Young

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:32:39 -0500

On the one hand, three cheers for investigations into lawmakers abusing their positions to reward themselves and their contributions, on the other hand thumbs down for recent court rulings that are deterring public corruption investigations in favor of granting special privacy privileges to members of Congress. Go the Politico for more on the Rep. Don Young (R-AK) earmark controversy and the Speech and Debate clause that might save him.

One Bad Egg Rots the Whole Pork Barrel

Katie Schlieper — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:40:29 -0500

The push to eliminate earmark spending for a one year period failed spectacularly in the Senate yesterday, despite support from unlikely corners. Indeed stories of bribed legislators and Bridges to Nowhere weren't enough to dissuade Senators from the pork barrel spending that's the bread and butter of reelection. While the impetus behind the proposed moratorium was a good one, it's going at the problem the wrong way.

Porky Politics

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:59:04 -0500

March 1st may be the first hint that spring is soon upon us, with barbecue and bikini season soon to follow, but for Congress 'tis the season to raise big money -- coincidentally right about the time earmark requests come due. Roll Call asks around about connections, real or implied, between late-night fundraisers and daytime spending decisions (sub. req. to read whole article).

Marks for Earmarking

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:24:35 -0500

Earmarks have been a hot topic on the Hill of late, and a go-to target for debates on wasteful government spending. How do the major candidates for president stack up when it comes to these controversial spending allocations, the ethics around them, and what about the earmarking process should be changed? The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, takes a look.

Sen. Stevens Continues to Endear Himself

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:11:20 -0500

More bad news for Senator Ted Stevens. The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that he set up an earmark to finance a real estate bailout for a longtime aid. The $1.6 million earmark to the SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska was used to buy half a million in property from a former aide, Trevor McCabe.

Underwhelming

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:25:13 -0500

In his final State of the Union address last night President Bush announced his intention to wield the veto pen against congressional earmarks but it's too little, too late for the billions in secret spending that have already been doled out for pork barrel project rewards to campaign contributors. Many, including Public Campaign Action Fund's David Donnelly, tell the Boston Globe that Bush should have gone much farther.

Pork on Parade

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:12:39 -0500

Taxpayers for Common Sense just came out with tallies for the members of Congress who've collected the most earmarks and right near the top of the list are both Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), both of whom are in the middle of corruption investigations.

Earmark if You Believe in Ferries

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:20:43 -0500

A "bridge to nowhere" won't pass muster anymore, but a boat to nowhere? Hey, that's worth trying. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), perhaps attempting to distract attention from his other scandals, has stuck a $20 million earmark into defense spending legislation to fund a ferry that looks to benefit no one so much as his scandal-tainted friends and former staffers who have development interests in the area the ferry would serve (Roll Call, sub req.).

In One Earmark, Out the Other

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:01:56 -0500

Not a good day for Rep. Don Young (R-AK) in the press. The Anchorage Daily News digs into him for a long history of taking generous campaign contributions from interests for whom he earmarked millions upon millions in federal money.

Pinpointing the Problem

Katie Schlieper — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:36:21 -0500

An article in The Seattle Times on earmarks for defense spending and its correlation to campaign contributions received by Washington legislators has touched a nerve for readers and sparked this point/counterpoint in the letters to the editor section about the need to address this problem via full public financing of campaigns.