House Republicans claimed that the new $1 trillion federal appropriations bill contained no "earmarks" for special member projects. But that assertion is disputed by several GOP senators.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was among 32 senators who voted against the measure last weekend. Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said a chief objection of the freshman senator was the inclusion of "billions in spending never requested by the authorizing committees."
Whether that fits the classic definition of an earmark is up for debate. But for Rubio and other critics, it's a distinction without a difference.
"They may not be 'traditional' earmarks, but they fit our definition of pork," Conant told Sunshine State News.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says the defense budget alone contained more than $3.5 billion in "unauthorized spending."
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., charged that of 225 amendments approved by the House Armed Services Committee, 115 were earmarks, amounting to $834 million.
Elsewhere, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said she identified "at least 53 unrequested items in the Energy and Water section totaling $684 million."
Representatives can insist all they want that they dont do earmarking anymore, but if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, its a duck," said McCaskill, who faces a tough re-election fight next year.
McCaskill's complaints hit home late last week when House Armed Services Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., announced he was stripping $700 million in expenditures from his House bill.
McCaskill called McKeon's move "a clear admission that he and his colleagues attempted to circumvent the earmark ban."
Nonetheless, McCaskill voted against the overall appropriations bill. She was the only Senate Democrat to vote no.
The measure, which funded the government and kept it running past the weekend, cleared the House 296-121, with seven Florida Republicans voting against it.
Among the naysayers was Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, who said the short schedule for the so-called "megabus" bill allowed no time for any meaningful review.
The decision to abandon the 72-hour requirement for this 1,217-page bill and rush through a stack of spending bills that should have been subjected to thorough review is disappointing," Posey said last week. (See earlier story here.)
McCain, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran and former prisoner of war, joined McCaskill on the warpath.
While acknowledging that last year's budget had far more earmarks totaling nearly $8.3 billion, McCain said this year's version remained riddled with excess spending.
In an analysis of defense appropriations, the Arizona Republican uncovered:
- A $20 million allocation for an obscure program called "Combat Dragon II. After turning over the right rocks, we found that this aircraft lease will not be competitively awarded and, as such, is effectively earmarked for a particular aircraft manufacturer who has the corner on this particularly obscure part of the aviation market," McCain said.
- $225 million for an unrequested, unauthorized C-17 aircraft "that no one in the Air Force or the Pentagon thought was needed in these tough fiscal times."
- $273 million in unrequested, unauthorized Army research "on everything from Parkinsons disease and HIV to alternative energy and nanotechnology."
- $262 million in unauthorized Navy research and development programs."The list of Navy adds is eerily similar to the Armys, and as you would expect, it covers a familiar set of member interest items nanotechnology, alternative energy, and giveaways to home-state interests," the senator said.
McCaskill cited Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, as an "earmark" serial offender, noting Castor's amendment to add $2 million to the Armys account for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation for University Research Initiatives.
"The text of the amendment states that the additional funding is intended for the 'development of informatics tools to support clinical care and research,'" McCaskill related.
"In the FY 2010 defense appropriations and authorizations requests listed on her website, Congresswoman Castor requested $2.5 million for the University of South Floridas College of Medicine to 'develop an electronic medical records system.'
"Additionally, in the FY 2011 defense appropriations requests also listed on her website, Congresswoman Castor made a nearly identical request to 'continue funding for the expansion of a Health Informatics Initiative.' The University of South Florida is within Congresswoman Castors district."
McCaskill said Castor's website also posted a May 12, 2011, press release stating her amendment for health care informatics tools will likely benefit the University of South Floridas College of Medicine."
"Given the language included in Congresswoman Castors amendment regarding the purpose of the funds and the remarkable similarities between this request and the past earmark requests for identical purposes, this request appears intended to benefit the same recipient of the past earmark, the University of South Floridas College of Medicine, and therefore operates as a traditional earmark in violation of the current earmark ban," McCaskill concluded.
Lara Hopkins, a spokeswoman for Castor, quoted the congresswoman as saying, "I will fight for every job and every dollar for my community, especially at the University of South Florida, which is a vital economic engine and health innovation center.
"Although the measure is not technically an 'earmark,' I hope USF will compete favorably in the Department of Defense competitive grant process."
Another House staffer, speaking on background, said McCaskill unfairly "redefined" earmarks to include programs that are competitively bid.
Still, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a leading conservative, criticized his party colleagues in the House for the 1,217-page omnibus spending bill (HR 2055) that was pushed through in less than three days.
"Republicans have pledged to cut spending and quit passing legislation no one had read, but thats exactly what members of Congress did before leaving for their Christmas vacations.
"The 2012 omnibus increased spending by more than $18 billion over 2011 levels.Once that bill is signed into law by the president, the total tab for all 12 of the 2012 appropriations bills will be more than $1.8 trillion, a nearly $21 billion increase over 2011 spending," DeMint said.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
