Democrats Gut Earmark Reform by Phil Kerpen

Earmark reform was supposed to be one of the top priorities for the new Democratic majorities.  Unfortunately the story of earmark reform has been apparent public victories for transparency and accountability, followed by behind-the-scenes retrenchment to allow business-as-usual to continue.  In the House we saw the spectacle of Democrats trying to circumvent their earmark rules by moving all earmarks into conference, an effort that House conservatives defeated.  In the Senate, however, earmark reform rules, although passed unanimously, have failed to take effect at all.  Yesterday the House voted overwhelmingly to pass a lobbying bill that included Senate earmark reforms, but this apparent victory is actually a major setback for earmark reformers.

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