On the recordMarch 18, 2010
this is a fairly simple bill. I have spoken on the floor several times about this bill. As I made very clear before, and there is no sense debating it now, I have been opposed to some of the moratoria we have been talking about on earmarks because, No. 1, they don't save any more if you kill an earmark and, No. 2, it is something I have serious problems with in terms of our oath of office. We raise our hands, as the Senator from North Dakota knows, and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. We don't say we are disenfranchising ourselves from article I, section 9 of the Constitution, which is very clearly the responsibility of the legislative branch to pass or to introduce authorization bills and appropriations bills. This bill--I do have quite a few cosponsors on this--is a proposal that would freeze discretionary spending at the 2008 level. Here is the reason I am doing this. President Obama and some of the Democrats had proposed that they would freeze the nonsecurity discretionary spending at 2010 levels. The problem I have with that is, this is after it has already been increased by 20 percent, so it is kind of a big deal. You increase it by 20 percent and then you freeze it.
