Cord Byrd: “I thank my generous and considerate friend. The process may not be flawless, but if public monies are spent unwisely or…”

“I thank my generous and considerate friend. The process may not be flawless, but if public monies are spent unwisely or wastefully, at least the people have the means to know about it. Both the House and Senate in open session must agree on an earmark, and the president has an opportunity to veto the measure that carries it. There is a record of debate, and a record of how each Member of Congress votes. A controversial item is available for all to see and judge if not before, then certainly after it is enacted. Ultimately, Senators will have to defend their votes on the floor of the Senate, or respond to the inquiries of the media, or stand before the electorate and their constituency. The representatives of the people in Congress are held accountable. If the Congress does not specify how funds are to be spent, then the decision falls to the executive branch--the so-called ``experts'' at bureaucratic agencies to determine the priorities of this Nation. In such cases, the American people may never know who is responsible for a spending decision. The American people never know how a spending decision is made. They may never hear anything about it. In the executive bureaucracy, there is far less accountability to the people. We ought to prefer that spending decisions be made in an open and public forum of debate, rather than ensconced within the hidden and unaccountable agencies of the executive branch.”