Wednesday, March 4, 2009; Page A04
Congressional Democrats Balk at Trimming Sort of Provisions Obama Himself Sought in Senate
Congressional Democrats pushed back yesterday against suggestions from President Obama that they rein in spending on narrow special interest provisions, defending these "earmarks" as a sliver of the trillions of dollars in federal spending and part of their constitutional duty to their constituents.
Noting Obama's past pursuit of earmarks while he was senator, Democrats set up a squabble with the president over the ingrained culture of the congressional prerogative to direct federal spending as lawmakers see fit. They reacted coolly to proclamations from a top White House aide that Obama would change the "rules" for future spending bills once the current $410 billion catch-all spending bill, a leftover from last fall, clears the Senate later this week. continue
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