Obama: I'll Veto Bills with Earmarks
Politico reports:
President Obama said in his State of the Union address that he would veto any bill that contained earmarks, his strongest statement against the longstanding congressional spending tactic.
“Both parties in Congress should know this: If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks in it, I will veto it,” the president said.
“Both parties in Congress should know this: If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks in it, I will veto it,” the president said.
Obama tied the ban to an effort to “rebuild people’s faith in the institution of government,” and called for congress to put government spending online along with records of their meetings with lobbyists.
“The American people deserve to know that special interests aren’t larding up legislation with pet projects,” Obama continued.
Last year in November, after House Republicans passed legislation banning earmarks, the president issued a statement in support of efforts to curb runaway spending. But Republican leaders Rep. John Boehner and Rep. Eric Cantor challenged Obama to stand by his support and veto any bill that contained earmarks.
“We welcome President Obama’s remarks on earmark reform, and we call upon him to urge Congressional Democrats to hold a vote next week on a similar measure,” they said in a statement.
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