oh 18 zack space objects to earmark

OH-18: Zack Space Objects to Earmark Moratorium

This just in...

Washington- Zack Space (OH-18) made it clear today that he has no

intention of supporting real and comprehensive earmark reform and

fiscal responsibility in Washington. Instead he voted to allow

Members of Congress to continue frivolously doling out

taxpayer-funded earmarks to boondoggle pet projects in order to

score political points.

Zack Space voted today in lock-step with his Democrat leaders to

block a bill that would create a Joint Select Committee on Earmark

Reform to review and report on how to fix Washington's mess of an

earmark process (H.Con.Res.263). Space also rejected a Republican

proposal to impose an immediate earmark moratorium on the

consideration of all earmarks until members of both parties come

together to fix the earmarking process once and for all (House Roll

Call 32).

Space broke his promise to bring reform to Washington:

"One of the reasons Zack Space ran for office was to 'clean up

Washington.' He believed - and told the voters of Ohio's 18th

Congressional district - that the special interests in Washington

had become too influential in the legislative process, drowning out

the voices and needs of the American people." (2006 Campaign

Website)

"Today, Zack Space put his partisan politics over the interests of

his constituents in Ohio when he voted to block a real opportunity

to bring honest reform to the broken earmarking process," said NRCC

Communications Director Jessica Boulanger. "Space's blatant

disregard for the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars will haunt his

through the Election Day, when voters will hold his accountable for

his reckless actions."

A newspaper in Speaker Pelosi's home state of California, called

the Democrats to finally make good on their campaign promise to

bring real earmark reform to Congress:

"...earmark abuses have contributed to record-low approval ratings

for all of Congress... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should work with

Republicans on curbing earmarks.... But Americans need to be able

to trust Congress to prudently spend their tax money. Curbing

earmarks is crucial to restoring that trust." (Riverside

Press-Enterprise, 02/05/2008)

Just before Congress adjourned in December, the Democrats were

successful in air-dropping 54 secret earmarks, totaling nearly half

a billion dollars in additional spending, into three appropriations

bills. These earmarks were never subject to the scrutiny of a

public hearing, and were forced to be voted on the same day they

were introduced:

"When Democrats won the House majority in 2006, they promised

reform... And Democrats are using loopholes to flout the spirit of

new rules... It is a lack of public scrutiny and debate that allows

stealth spending projects to divert money from real budget

priorities to low-priority earmarks. The public will have to demand

that Congress reverse this return to business as usual."

(Victorville Daily Press 02/05/2008)

Zack Space and the Democrats have sent a message to Americans that

they will continue to break their campaign promises of earmark

reform and fiscal responsibility in favor of doling out taxpayer

dollars to support their colleagues' pet projects.