Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) has finally acknowledged that he had also placed a hold on the legislation. There had been speculation over the past 24 hours that there was a second senator besides Sen. Ted Stevens (D-Alaska) to place a hold on a bill that would provide transparency for earmarks in Congress, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S-2590).
Additiction to pork transcends political affiliations. Never forget that salient point. Byrd and Stevens are masters at deliverying pork to their constituents, at all of our expense.
Others blogging: Porkbusters, Liberty and Justice, TPMmuckraker, Done With Mirrors.
UPDATE:
Thoughts Online wonders just what good this legislation will do in terms of reducing spending or pork. It's a good question. Politicians simply will not be shamed by the fact that they're bringing home the bacon for their constituents - it's what those constituents expect. What it will do is provide an easily accessible database that people can see just where and how taxpayer money is spent around the country. It could begin the process of imposing fiscal sanity and cost-benefit analysis on earmarks, but that is more of a hope than a definite outcome.
Technorati: porkbusters, earmarks, accountability, stevens, coburn, obama.
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