GOP Finally Showing Some Fiscal Discipline, Thwarts Big Spending Dems

The Dems, who swore to America that they would reform the earmarking process and reduce pork barrel spending, have done just the opposite and have tried to ram pork-filled bills past the GOP over and over. Once again, as reported by Bob Novak, the effort has failed:

WASHINGTON -- The ploy had been hatched behind closed doors by Democratic leaders of both houses. A pork-laden appropriations bill filled with $1 billion in earmarks would combine with veto-proof spending for veterans. Instead, the two measures were decoupled in a Senate party-line vote last Tuesday.

The Democratic scheme to present President George W. Bush with a bill that he could not veto seemed a clever strategy, but it was based on presumption of Republican ignorance and cowardice. As late as last Monday, savvy GOP Senate staffers predicted Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's decoupling motion would fail. In fact, she did not lose a Republican senator, as Democrats fell far short of the 60 votes needed to keep the two bills together.

You really need to read the whole article to understand how this process works, and how desperate the Dems are to send money to their home districts at the expense of the real priorities that Congress should be addressing.