Posted on 03/04/2009 3:23:45 AM PST by tobyhill
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declared Tuesday that Congress, not President Obama, will decide whether to put more limits on earmarks in upcoming spending bills.
Asked about White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' statement Monday that the Obama administration was formulating guidelines for earmark reform, Hoyer said flatly, "I don't think the White House has the ability to tell us what to do."
He paused deliberately and quipped to reporters in the room, "I hope you all got that down."
Earmarks are unrelated pet projects that members of Congress insert in unrelated spending bills.
Hoyer pointed out that Democrats have cut down the number of earmarks and now require that all requests get posted on the Internet. But, he conceded, "I think there are additional things we can do and consider."
And the Maryland Democrat added, "It is certainly appropriate for the White House to suggest ways of going forward so that we can have agreement between the White House and ourselves."
He said congressional leaders have talked to the White House about "concerns it had," but refused to offer any specifics.
CNN reported Monday that, according to Democratic sources at a White House meeting last week, Obama urged Democratic leaders to "limit" future earmarks and, in what one official described as a "tense" exchange, the leaders told the president they'll do what they can to continue reform, but that earmarking projects for districts and states is a prerogative of Congress.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
And in a related story, Nancy Belagosie allows Denny Hoyer to speak. In a private room shadowed from sunlight, The Countess had this to say, “I’m not going to take all the flak, the insrumountable task of upturning of the US Constitution is most certainly a herculean task, I may need help from my thralls”.
So, after she promised not to bite me, I asked her what would become of Hoyer, She never replied, but implied that he would survive as the retard he presented himself to be, and at a later press event, she would extract the last bit of political life, afterwhich she herself would guide him under her bat like wing to yet an as undisclosed location.
I mean really Denny Hoyer? Please.
I hope Republicans grow some cajones in reminding Obama he isn’t king. He seems to have missed that point. Of course being an African thug tends to do that to you.
How appropriate that Aitch and the Hoyer argue over earmarks.
Congress is tone deaf and Obama is “wet behind the ears.”
Quoth the Forehead:
"Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Pretty cool!"
Honeymoon is over, President Zero!
obama messiah now can play the ultimate victim role to the adoring masses and maintain messiah status. Meanwhile, they all accomplish their agenda.
I’m not going to get my hopes up until the Republican leadership makes a meaningful move towards standing up to this madness.
What you say means nothing... it is what you actually do that will carry the day.
This is nothing more than a cover for the liar who swore he was going to go over the budget line by line.
Sure he was...........right!!!!
Obama is such a small person.
Do I have to surrender my Conservative Creds if, in the light of everything going on, I just don’t care anymore about 5% or so earmark waste?
Watching McCain almost tear himself apart over this made me think of the old mountain/molehill thing. To me he just looked impotent and pathetic. Even more than usual.
Maybe I’ve just become too cynical.
Steny is just taking some of the heat of Obama.
Steny who stay’s in office because of the earmarks he gets is a brown nosing, knob shining ,professional politician who will be the first in line to kiss Onbama’s buttocks.
I just put pop corn on the grocery list.
Watching McCain
John was a prisoner of war. Everyone knows that.
The People of Arizona have honored him by making him one of their senators for many years. He has fought for and against the enemy.
But now I think it is time for John to retire and enjoy the fruits of his work - Socialism/Communism.
LOL I'll have what you're having.
He made many promises during his campaign. After his coronation, he has broken many promises.
It seems every time he does something, he breaks another one.
I’d love to see a list of the over-500 promises he made so we could keep track of the ones he’s broken.
Yes, I want to be clear that I respect JM GREATLY for his service to our country and in the Senate.
But I'm not sure that, this time around, he is going to be the political leader we need in this particular crisis.
Nothing personal, just my own opinion based on observation.
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