The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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March 16, 2010

Sen. Inhofe against eliminating earmarks

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has denounced a decision by House Republicans to halt congressional earmarks for fiscal year 2011.

The House Republican Conference adopted the one-year moratorium on earmark requests — funding secured by members of Congress for projects in their districts — last week as a way to cut government spending.

Inhofe, who has been named the most conservative U.S. senator by the conservative National Journal, said eliminating earmarks will not save money, but will shift the ability to appropriate to federal bureaucrats.

“I know what the public thinks about earmarks, but eliminating earmarks doesn’t save a penny,” Inhofe said. “It only sends the funds back to committees and some bureaucrat spends the money. A moratorium doesn’t do anything for Oklahoma.”

By voting a moratorium on earmarks, Inhofe said House Republicans left only Democrat U.S. Rep. Dan Boren to take care of Oklahoma. The moratorium, Inhofe said, could hurt his ability to help Enid and Vance Air Force Base.

Inhofe said he acted earlier to save an appropriation for a new $10.4 million control tower at Vance. He said the measure passed committee then was stymied by an amendment by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. Inhofe said he managed to get the appropriation passed anyway.

“I’m trying to get someone to fully understand the handicap I will be under,” Inhofe said. “We will try to get the House to reverse it, we want to help Vance and other Enid needs. I’m still the most conservative member of the Senate, but something needs to be done.”

U.S. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., disagreed with Inhofe, saying the House Republican Conference talked about how to deal with earmarks for a year and a half.

“We had a very intense conference the day it was adopted, and I voted with them,” said Lucas, who represents Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Enid.

Republican House members’ view, Lucas said, is the system is out of control and someone needs to take a principled stand.

“I have the greatest respect for Sen. Inhofe’s opinion,” Lucas said. “We’ve worked hand-in-hand for Vance Air Force Base. In this particular circumstance, I must agree with my House Republican colleagues.”

In an article in the National Journal, Inhofe took issue with other conservatives, such as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; and Coburn. He said last year’s earmarks amounted to 1.5 percent of federal discretionary spending, and earmarks are nothing more than a distraction from the real spending and debt crisis facing the nation.

Inhofe said helping Oklahoma is what he does for a living.

“The Constitution says we have the power of the purse,” he said. “This is what we do. We create and authorize money, and they are saying they will no longer do that.”

Neither Republicans or Democrats in the Senate have passed such a moratorium. Neither have House Democrats.

“We are supposed to be looking out for our state, that’s what the Constitution says,” Inhofe said.

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