Where Congress Buries the Goods

Can you imagine the National Association of Burglars and Home Invaders issuing a report on how to make your house robber-proof? Chances are (if there is an NABHI), it isn’t going to happen.

Why tell your source of potential revenue how to safeguard same?

In the spirit of disclosure, you gotta hand it to the Government Accountability Office for a recent report on how to make it easier to spot porkie earmarks in supplemental appropriations including “good” earmarks used to get bigger pay raises for feds.

GAO auditors will tackle virtually anything, even sacred cows like earmarks and pork barrel projects. Many agencies that have been gored by the GAO claim they were wronged, or GAO missed the point. But the agency remains the Congressional watchdog. Lately it has been studying supplementals.

The supplementals, used to fund everything from the war to Katrina-like cleanups and outflank the White House on federal pay issues, were once relatively rare. That was back in the old days when Congress (aka “the NABHI”) approved budgets on time, making it easier to stick to them. Nowadays supplemental appropriations are as numerous as fleas on a pound puppy.

Supplemental appropriations in the past have been an way for pro-federal worker members of Congress to get things, like bigger pay raises, for civil servants. Those earmarks are usually well-publicized unlike some other legislative riders (can you say “bridge to nowhere”?) that have nothing to do with the reason Congress is appropriating your money.

Whether you agree with the purpose of the programs or not, supplementals are often necessary. And they are often crash projects, meaning Congress has to move at the legislative equivalent of warp speed to get things done. Supplementals are also an excellent place for members of congress to bury pork projects for their districts or earmarks that may improve their brother-in-law’s bank balance.

Yet GAO has boldly suggested ways Congress could add more “transparency” to the process of crafting and passing supplementals. In a recent report to Congress, GAO said the process could be clearer, and by inference cleaner, if certain things were done. Its report gives several examples of billions of dollars that were allocated and spent on projects that had little or nothing to do with what the supplemental was trying to deal with. For a GAO eye view into the process, click here (pdf).

Got Teleworking?

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If teleworking is important to you, consider attending the April 22 town hall meeting on the state of, and vision for, teleworking. It will be held at the Ronald Reagan building in downtown D.C. Speakers include Reps. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.). They have major oversight of federal programs and practices. To register click here.

Nearly Useless Factoid

A group of jellyfish is called a “smack.”

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

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