It appears that Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) relentless crusade against earmarks is starting to have an effect on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
According to the Washington Times, Sen. Reid recently bundled 36 pork-laden bills together into an $11.3 billion omnibus spending bill because Sen. Coburn has blocked these pieces of legislation from reaching the floor of the Senate through repeated objections:
“Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Democrats need to consider such a tactic to counter Mr. Coburn’s ‘unprecedented obstructionism’ in placing a hold on many of the individual bills so they could not be rushed through the Senate.
“Mr. Manley said the bills have been debated and approved by the House and have been considered by the relevant Senate committees. Bills that passed the House received the support of an average of 379 members, he said.”
A summary of the omnibus spending bill obtained by ALG News, which may be obtained here, outlines all of the spending in each of the packages, and is truly an eye-opener for observers unfamiliar with the details of wasteful spending that goes on year in and year out in Congress. It includes, but is not limited to $1.5 billion for the D.C. Metro, $12 million for a greenhouse in Maryland, and $13 million for preservation of records of servitude, emancipation, and post-Civil War Reconstruction.
As ALG News has reported, Senator Coburn has blocked the introduction of the omnibus spending bill just as he has the introduction of each of the individual bills. And now the two sides are headed for a showdown.
Mr. Coburn has previous stated he had 20 Republican members of the Senate ready to oppose the bill, but that he would need 41 in order to successfully wage a filibuster against the legislation.
But to expand opposition to the bill, concerned citizens and journalists will need to call up their respective senators to urge them to join Mr. Coburn’s fight against the Washington establishment.
Because, right now, Mr. Coburn is having an effect on the Senate Majority Leader, but he could truly be a thorn in Mr. Reid’s side if this omnibus spending bill is defeated.
ALG CTA: ALG News calls upon journalists nationwide to urge their audiences to contact their senators to call upon them to oppose the $11.3 billion Reid Omnibus Spending Bill. Americans need to send a message to Congress that being elected is not a blank check to bilk the taxpayers. Senator Coburn needs help in this fight.
