Obama should pursue his idea to expose Congress’ hypocrisy

Republicans in Congress have been unified in their criticism of Democratic President Barack Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill for enacting the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was designed to stimulate the recession-crippled economy. And yet, just about every congressional district represented by a Republican, and every state with a Republican governor benefited from the so-called stimulus program to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

How did the American people respond to such hypocrisy? By giving the GOP a major victory in the 2010 congressional and gubernatorial elections. Republicans now control the U.S. House of Representatives and governor’s offices in major states, including Ohio.

We have long urged the Obama administration to expose the two-faced politics being practiced in Congress, and there are now indications the public will get the chance to observe the shenanigans that occur on a daily basis.

Earlier this month, the National Journal reported that the president may use his executive authority to publicize special funding requests that lawmakers make for pet projects. The news magazine referred to the initiative as “name and shame,” which is exactly what Obama, who faces a tough re-election campaign next year, should have been doing ever since he signed the stimulus bill.

The reality of American politics is that a member of Congress is judged not by the quantity of legislation he or she sponsors, but by the amount of federal money returned to the congressional district or the state.

Republicans, and even some Democrats, may rail against earmarks and runaway federal government spending, but there isn’t one federal lawmaker who would shy away from cutting a ribbon for a new bridge, or announcing a major defense contract for a company in his or her district or state.

Soon after the Republicans took over the House, Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and members of his caucus pushed through a bill to ban funding for special projects through legislative earmarks, which forced the Democratic controlled Senate to follow suit.

Pressure on agencies

However, as the Obama noted in a draft memo obtained by the National Journal, “Earmarks written into law or otherwise referenced in legislative material are not the only threat to merit-based and competitive criteria for use of government funds. Too often, federal agencies are pressured informally to show special favor to certain parties or interests in the course of the agency decision-making concerning federal projects, programs, contracts, and grants.” In other words, members of Congress are getting around the earmark ban by going directly to the federal agencies they fund for money for pet projects.

It’s time to expose those congressmen and women who say one thing to curry favor with the anti-government crowd, but do another to ensure continued support from their constituents by bringing home the bacon.

The GOP is going to slam Obama and the Democrats in next year’s election for the stimulus bill and other federal government spending. It is only fair that the American people know the extent of Republicans’ hypocrisy.

Every letter or phone call or email from a member of Congress to a federal agency seeking funding for a pet project should be made public.