DeAnne
Mike CrowlPresident Bush Signs Executive Order (LINK)
January 30th 2008 14:31
President Bush Signs Executive Order Protecting American Taxpayers from Government Spending on Wasteful Earmarks
Office of the Press Secretary
January 29, 2008
Today, the President signed Executive Order 13457, "Protecting American Taxpayers from Government Spending on Wasteful Earmarks." This Executive Order (EO) makes clear that future earmarks included in report language will be ignored and builds on the President's pledge in his State of the Union address to veto FY 2009 spending bills that do not cut the cost and number of earmarks in half from FY 2008 levels.
The President's unprecedented action on earmarks will bring more transparency and accountability to the budget process – just as the American people expect and deserve.
* The President's goal is to reform the earmarking culture that leads to wasteful and excessive pork-barrel spending.
* Last year, the President asked Congress to voluntarily cut the number and dollar amount of earmarks in half, and he asked lawmakers to place earmarks in the actual text of the bill rather than in report language.
* Congress did not get the job done on either count. There are still too many earmarks and too little accountability.
* As a result of Executive Order 13457, earmarks will be subject to the light of day and an up or down vote by lawmakers. Congress' obligation to debate and strike wasteful projects should result in taxpayer dollars being spent more wisely.
* Throughout the Appropriations process, the Administration will work with lawmakers and other interested parties to advance earmark reform.
Specifically, the Executive Order:
* Directs every Federal Agency to ensure that laws passed by Congress in the future do not spend money on an earmarked project based on language in a Committee report or any other communication (e.g., phone-marking) from Members of Congress or other persons acting on their behalf.
* Future non-statutory earmarks can only receive funding if the agency determines, pursuant to a merit-based decision process, that the project in question is the best possible expenditure of taxpayer dollars consistent with the law.
* Members of Congress will have the opportunity, as they've always had, to advocate for projects they support. For these views to be considered as part of an Agency's merit-based, decision-making process, however, they must be submitted in writing and will be made public on the Internet within 30 days.
* Applies to earmarks in bills Congress will send to the President this year and in bills Congress will send Presidents in future years. This prospective policy will remain in effect unless the Executive Order is repealed by a future President. To put this status in context, over 80 percent of EOs from 1993-2000 remain in place today.
* Defines an earmark as any funds provided by Congress for projects, programs, or grants where the congressional direction (whether in statutory text, report language, or other communication) (1) circumvents merit-based or competitive allocation processes; (2) specifies the location or recipient of the funds; or (3) otherwise limits the ability of the Executive Branch to manage its statutory and constitutional responsibilities for the allocation of federal funds.
More information can be found on the White House news release website.
Office of the Press Secretary
January 29, 2008
THE PRESIDENT: Director Nussle, thank you. Before I sign the executive order on earmarks, I do want to congratulate the House of Representatives for overwhelmingly passing a economic growth package that would help our economy. The temptation is going to be for the Senate to load it up. My concern is that we need to get this bill out of the Senate and on my desk so the checks can get in the hands of our consumers, and our businesses can be assured of the incentives necessary to make investments.
Anyway, I do want to thank the Speaker and Leader Boehner for working quickly and working in a bipartisan fashion. This is a very good start.
And now I'm going to sign this executive order. Last night I said that it's very important for Congress to earn the trust of the American taxpayer, and one way they should do so is to end the practice of earmarks. Now, I said last year that they should voluntarily cut the number in half -- not only the number, but the amount of earmarks in half. They chose not to do so. So last night I told the Congress that I would veto any bill, appropriations bill, that does not cut the number and the amount of earmarks in half.
Secondly, there's a practice here in Washington, and I'm not sure many of our citizens understand it takes place, where members just put in special spending projects into what's called report language. That means that these projects never were voted on, never really saw the light of day. And this executive order says that any such earmarks this year and into the future will be ignored by this administration and, hopefully, future administrations, unless those spending projects were voted on by the Congress.
The American people expect there to be transparency in the process. They expect the people to be -- here in Washington to be wise about how they spend their money, and this executive order will go a long way toward sending that signal to the Congress, and at the same time, earning the trust of the American people.
So, Mr. Director, thank you for your leadership on the issue. It was the right course of action to take, and I am proud to have signed the executive order. Thank you.
Anyway, I do want to thank the Speaker and Leader Boehner for working quickly and working in a bipartisan fashion. This is a very good start.
And now I'm going to sign this executive order. Last night I said that it's very important for Congress to earn the trust of the American taxpayer, and one way they should do so is to end the practice of earmarks. Now, I said last year that they should voluntarily cut the number in half -- not only the number, but the amount of earmarks in half. They chose not to do so. So last night I told the Congress that I would veto any bill, appropriations bill, that does not cut the number and the amount of earmarks in half.
Secondly, there's a practice here in Washington, and I'm not sure many of our citizens understand it takes place, where members just put in special spending projects into what's called report language. That means that these projects never were voted on, never really saw the light of day. And this executive order says that any such earmarks this year and into the future will be ignored by this administration and, hopefully, future administrations, unless those spending projects were voted on by the Congress.
The American people expect there to be transparency in the process. They expect the people to be -- here in Washington to be wise about how they spend their money, and this executive order will go a long way toward sending that signal to the Congress, and at the same time, earning the trust of the American people.
So, Mr. Director, thank you for your leadership on the issue. It was the right course of action to take, and I am proud to have signed the executive order. Thank you.
Today, the President signed Executive Order 13457, "Protecting American Taxpayers from Government Spending on Wasteful Earmarks." This Executive Order (EO) makes clear that future earmarks included in report language will be ignored and builds on the President's pledge in his State of the Union address to veto FY 2009 spending bills that do not cut the cost and number of earmarks in half from FY 2008 levels.
The President's unprecedented action on earmarks will bring more transparency and accountability to the budget process – just as the American people expect and deserve.
* The President's goal is to reform the earmarking culture that leads to wasteful and excessive pork-barrel spending.
* Last year, the President asked Congress to voluntarily cut the number and dollar amount of earmarks in half, and he asked lawmakers to place earmarks in the actual text of the bill rather than in report language.
* Congress did not get the job done on either count. There are still too many earmarks and too little accountability.
* As a result of Executive Order 13457, earmarks will be subject to the light of day and an up or down vote by lawmakers. Congress' obligation to debate and strike wasteful projects should result in taxpayer dollars being spent more wisely.
* Throughout the Appropriations process, the Administration will work with lawmakers and other interested parties to advance earmark reform.
Specifically, the Executive Order:
* Directs every Federal Agency to ensure that laws passed by Congress in the future do not spend money on an earmarked project based on language in a Committee report or any other communication (e.g., phone-marking) from Members of Congress or other persons acting on their behalf.
* Future non-statutory earmarks can only receive funding if the agency determines, pursuant to a merit-based decision process, that the project in question is the best possible expenditure of taxpayer dollars consistent with the law.
* Members of Congress will have the opportunity, as they've always had, to advocate for projects they support. For these views to be considered as part of an Agency's merit-based, decision-making process, however, they must be submitted in writing and will be made public on the Internet within 30 days.
* Applies to earmarks in bills Congress will send to the President this year and in bills Congress will send Presidents in future years. This prospective policy will remain in effect unless the Executive Order is repealed by a future President. To put this status in context, over 80 percent of EOs from 1993-2000 remain in place today.
* Defines an earmark as any funds provided by Congress for projects, programs, or grants where the congressional direction (whether in statutory text, report language, or other communication) (1) circumvents merit-based or competitive allocation processes; (2) specifies the location or recipient of the funds; or (3) otherwise limits the ability of the Executive Branch to manage its statutory and constitutional responsibilities for the allocation of federal funds.
More information can be found on the White House news release website.
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