So the tax bill passed but the Omnibus was defeated. Tax Bill, Omnibus, how do you keep them separate in your mind?
Merry Christmas, Taxpayers!
By Robert Bluey
Published December 17, 2010
The demise of the massive omnibus spending bill means about a dozen departing U.S. senators will leave office without their prized pork-barrel spending. Consider it a Christmas gift for the American taxpayer.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pulled the $1.27 trillion spending legislation late Thursday when it became clear he didn’t have Republican support to pass the bill. With a government shutdown looming, it now appears likely Congress will enact a stopgap measure.
The omnibus, unveiled Tuesday at nearly 2,000 pages, included more than 6,700 earmarks totaling $8.3 billion. It also implemented the first phase of Obamacare at a cost of $1.1 billion.
It would have been a boon to senators leaving office in two weeks. They alone requested more than 800 earmarks costing $1.52 billion. Now that’s an expensive parting gift.
Democrats packed the bill with pork-barrel spending to buy support. But the culture of corruption associated with earmarks was just too great for even big-spending Republicans to embrace it.
As a result, several well-known earmark-loving lawmakers will leave Congress without some of their prized pet projects.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/op...taxpayers/#ixzz18P3oP3Fk
Merry Christmas, Taxpayers!
By Robert Bluey
Published December 17, 2010
The demise of the massive omnibus spending bill means about a dozen departing U.S. senators will leave office without their prized pork-barrel spending. Consider it a Christmas gift for the American taxpayer.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pulled the $1.27 trillion spending legislation late Thursday when it became clear he didn’t have Republican support to pass the bill. With a government shutdown looming, it now appears likely Congress will enact a stopgap measure.
The omnibus, unveiled Tuesday at nearly 2,000 pages, included more than 6,700 earmarks totaling $8.3 billion. It also implemented the first phase of Obamacare at a cost of $1.1 billion.
It would have been a boon to senators leaving office in two weeks. They alone requested more than 800 earmarks costing $1.52 billion. Now that’s an expensive parting gift.
Democrats packed the bill with pork-barrel spending to buy support. But the culture of corruption associated with earmarks was just too great for even big-spending Republicans to embrace it.
As a result, several well-known earmark-loving lawmakers will leave Congress without some of their prized pet projects.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/op...taxpayers/#ixzz18P3oP3Fk

