GOP senator urges OMB to hold line on earmark reform

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., urged Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman Tuesday to persuade President Bush to veto any ethics legislation that contains "weaker" earmark transparency measures than those in the House rules package approved last week, which he said contains "minimal but essential reforms."

In a letter to Portman, Coburn commended House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., for announcing a moratorium on earmarks as they wrap unfinished fiscal 2007 spending bills into a "joint resolution" continuing most programs at last year's funding levels.

But he cautioned that the plan leaves open the possibility of "backdoor" earmarks, and urged Portman to be vigilant against efforts by lawmakers to get projects funded through back-channel conversations rather than in the bill.

He also asked Portman not to fund earmarks contained in prior-year spending bill reports, which are non-binding on the administration, and to cancel "non-essential" projects that were funded in previous years and are recurring, such as a "seafood waste" project at the University of Alaska, Coburn aides said.

They cited the Alaska project as one of hundreds contained in the annual Agricultural Research Service budget that routinely continue from year to year.

"As you know very well, windows of opportunity to pass meaningful reform in Washington do not stay open indefinitely. I would urge the administration to be active, constructive and, when necessary, aggressive, participants in this process," Coburn wrote.