Jerry Lewis: “it was not my intention to speak on any of these earmarks, but the discussion that has gone on between the chairman and…”

“it was not my intention to speak on any of these earmarks, but the discussion that has gone on between the chairman and the gentleman from Arizona I was listening to upstairs, and it struck me that there needed to be some addition to this discussion. The suggestion that earmarks exploded as of the time the control of the Congress changed in 1995 and began to expand, et cetera, et cetera, is accurate, accurate, but for reasons entirely different than the gentleman from Arizona either realizes or understands. It is a fact that the other party controlled the Congress for 40 years, and over all those years their chairmen, their subcommittee chairmen, their very high-ranking Members around here with years and years of power had developed very solid relationships with the second and third level in the various agencies around this town. And there weren't earmarks; there were phone marks. Key staff and otherwise were instructed to call those second- and third-tier people within the agencies and let them know what they thought the priorities should be. There wasn't a need for legislative earmarks because phone marks had a very significant impact upon the process. And we tend to ignore that reality.…”