• As Washington pundits predicted, the $3.1 trillion budget President Bush proposed for the federal fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2008, received a cold reception from Democrats; Republicans were lukewarm on it. This being an election year, Presidential goals are not necessarily those of lawmakers and contentious negotiations might not resolve differences by election day. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called the proposal “fiscally irresponsible and highly deceptive.” Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said, “The focus is not going to be on the President’s budget but on what the next President will do.” Although Bush proposed cutting 151 programs that would save $18 billion, which was only six-tenths of one percent of federal spending, critics faulted that as too little and expected Congress would reject many of the proposals.
• Earmarks or “pork” amendments continued to merit the attention of government spending watchdog groups. The Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) the 2007 “Porker of the Year.” CAGW noted that Murtha inserted pork whenever possible to serve himself and his district and that in Fiscal Year 2008 he brought home 72 pork-barrel projects costing $149.2 million. Last spring when colleagues challenged a $23 million project Murtha inserted into the Intelligence Authorization Act, he let loose a temper tantrum and threatened to block their earmarked amendments. CAGW noted that Murtha consistently put up roadblocks and barriers to earmark accountability and reform proposals.
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