Omnibus '09 Funding Bill Delayed

Falling apparently one vote short of the 60 required for cloture on the '09 omnibus appropriations bill, the Senate will receive a House continuing resolution funding government operations through midnight next Tuesday, March 10, averting a shutdown of most government operations. The Senate wants more time to vote on amendments to the House version, especially with regard to school vouchers in Washington, D.C., and FTC regulation of mortgage terms.

Both amendments are expected to fail, but short of putting them to a vote cloture could not be achieved. Speaker Pelosi has been adamant about not wanting the House to have to reconsider Senate changes to the omnibus. It will likely be on President Obama's desk, earmarks and all, before the new Tuesday midnight deadline.

Have You Ever Seen An Earmark?

There has been a lot of talk during the presidential campaigns, and since the inauguration of President Obama, about Congressional earmarks in appropriations legislation. Have you ever seen an earmark? If not, click on this link to the House Appropriations Committee home page and you can see 9,000 of them:

http://appropriations.house.gov/FY2009_consolidated.shtml

The link will take you to a listing of the various portions of the $410 billion omnibus appropriation bill pending in the House of Representatives for fiscal year 2009. Congress has to pass this bill before the end of March to avoid a government shutdown. After each section of the bill you will see a line that looks like this:

Summary : Bill : Statement : Certification Letters

Click on "Certification Letters." These letters are the "earmarks" everyone has been talking about. They are requests by individual Senators and Representatives that money be set aside out of the appropriations for specific projects. Note well that the letters do not specify how much is being requested in the earmark.

If you are looking for specific projects in your locality to bid on, scroll through the 9,000 earmarks in this bill and find the letterhead of your own Senators or Congressman, and the letter will identify the project money is being earmarked for.

Happy Hunting!