No Spending Sunshine In The Senate
April 17, 2007, 9:41pm
Two Senate Republicans today made the case for new rules to govern the disclosure of special-interest spending earmarks, but their request for unanimous consent to consider the proposed rules was defeated. Here are video excerpts of the floor speeches by Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma:
DeMint
“My proposal, S. Resolution 123, creates a new Senate rule that requires public disclosure of the earmarks contained in bills passed by committee. This disclosure includes the name of the member requesting the earmark, the name and address of the intended recipient of the earmark, the purpose of the earmark, and a certification that the requesting member and his or her spouse have no financial interest in the requeted earmark. These are simple transparency ideas that the American people need.”
Coburn
“There shouldn’t be one earmark, one special favor, one indication of anything done at any level, authorization or appropriation, that the American people aren’t fully aware of who has the vested interest in that. … The American people deserve transparency. The American people should have transparency. And the only way we can truly be held accountable by the American people is if they can see everything that’s going on.”
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., objected to the unanimous consent request.
Categories: Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tom Coburn, Jim DeMint, Budget
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