Obey Rules

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and the Dems duck debate on earmarks before a bill is passed, this time for Homeland Security, which will be secretly stuffed with pork in conference. Republicans are challenging the Obey Rules, which gut the progress made on earmark transparency by Republicans in the last Congress, and which the Democrats campaigned to improve upon.

Obey Rules, the Earmark King.

Call his bluff.

Republicans, keeping the up to no good Democrats up late.

Previous post: Smoking Out Pork

UPDATE: Boehner speaks plainly. FoxNews, via RCP:

Minority Leader John Boehner threatened Democratic leaders Tuesday, vowing to slow down legislative activities in the House until Democrats agree to open up earmarking policy so that lawmakers disclose their pet projects earlier in the bill-making process.

"Republicans today are going to declare war on our Democratic majority over these secret slush funds," Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Republicans are hoping to hold Democrats to an earlier promise to make earmark requests more transparent by revealing where earmarks are designated and which lawmaker is requesting them before spending bills reach the House floor. Democrats want to release that information during the conference committee process, well after the House votes for appropriations.

Boehner, R-Ohio, said he is upset over the change of heart, and Democrats need to "realize the errors of their ways."

Saw Rahm speak after midnight last night, looking pale, giving us taxpayers the Rahm around on earmarks. Maybe he's worried all his new "centrist" seats from the last election will go down to defeat next round on these broken promises. Or maybe he's uneasy about the many Dems denying our troops funds while stuffing themselves with pork.