Mar 18, 2009 10:52 pm US/Central
Reality Check: Bachmann's Earmarks
(WCCO)
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is on the defensive, after claiming she's never received one of those controversial earmark projects.
But in fact, Bachmann was in favor of earmarks before she was against them. As recently as a week ago, Bachmann claimed she hasn't taken any earmarks during the time she's been in Congress.
And it's just not true.
"I took a pledge in my own district," Bachmann told
Fox Business News on March 11. "I have not taken earmarks in the last three years that I've been in congress, because the system is so corrupt."
This is FALSE.
According to the Washington watchdog group Legistorm, in 2008, Bachmann requested seven earmarks by herself or with others totaling $3,767,600.
She requested two solo earmarks totaling $429,000. The
solo earmarks include $94,000 for a sheriff's youth program and $335,000 for hospital equipment at Northland Medical Center.
These are projects Bachmann didn't talk about when she campaigned for re-election against earmarks in Washington.
"These projects (earmarks) get what's called airdropped into a bill," said
candidate Bachmann during a debate in October 2008. "They've never seen the light of day. They've never withstood a committee hearing, or a markup, or an examination."
Here's what you NEED TO KNOW.
Bachmann requested those pork projects during 2008, the year Democrats took over Congress.
According to The Heritage Foundation, in 2008 the House and Senate approved 11,737 earmarks, which is the
second highest number in Congressional history.
The record of most earmarks: the Republican Congress of 2005, which approved 13,997 earmarks.
Bachmann has since backed off her no-earmarks comments.
"I have taken earmarks," Bachmann told Fox News on March 14. "When I first came in I put a couple in for my district. I took a no-earmarks pledge last year."
It is TRUE that in 2008 Bachmann signed the
Club for Growth no-earmarks pledge, the same year she requested and accepted earmarks.
This year, she's one of only a few members of Congress who did not have a
pork project in the spending bill just signed by President Barack Obama.
That's Reality Check.
Rep. Michele Bachmann Statement about earmarks:
"After seeing how corrupt and broken the earmarking process is in her first year in Congress, Congresswoman Bachmann was part of a bipartisan group of Members to pledge not to request earmarks. She kept that that pledge for 2008 and she intends to stick to that pledge again this year. Until the process respects the taxpayers who foot the bill and puts merit before politics, Congresswoman Bachmann will continue to work for reform."
To check the resources for this Reality Check click on the links below.
Video: Bachmann On Fox News About Obama Signing Spending Bill
Legistorm: Rep. Michele Bachmann's Earmarks Requested
YouTube: Bachmann: Our Earmark System MUST Be Reformed
2008 Second-Highest Number of Earmarks in History
Club for Growth No-Earmarks Pledge
Taxpayers for Common Sense Complete Earmarks List
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