Earmark King Puts Restriction on Earmarks

Color me unimpressed.

U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wausau, announced today that the House Appropriations Committee will no longer approve earmarks directed to for-profit entities.

Obey, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, joined with incoming Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks, D-Wash., in announcing the plan. The lawmakers say the rule would have prevented 1,000 earmarks last year. In addition, the Appropriations Committee will now require an audit of at least 5 percent of non-profit earmarks to “ensure that earmarks go to their intended purposes and to prevent for-profits from masquerading as non-profits.”