Texans disclosing their earmarks already

Houston Chronicle:

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Turns out, some Texans in Congress already had beaten their colleagues to the punch in shining sunlight on the secretive process of funding pet projects.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, began posting all of his funding requests on his Web site about a year ago — making him one of the first members of Congress to do so, his staff says.

"We cannot give our constituents too much information about what we do because the government works best when people are fully informed," said Culberson, one of five Texans serving on the money-doling House Appropriations Committee.

Culberson has imposed several rules on himself: He won't request earmarks for companies or individuals, instead seeking special funding only for government agencies, universities, hospitals and research institutions.

A look at Culberson's requests to nine Appropriations subcommittees this year shows a major emphasis on space and medical research. He requested everything from a $1.5 billion budget increase for NASA to $295,000 for cardiac monitors for the Harris County Hospital District.

And Culberson's relentless focus on border security also is clear, with requests for $100 million to fund the Southwest Border Sheriff's Coalition. Then there are requests for $215 million for Metro for Houston rail and bus improvements.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, and Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, also are making their earmark requests public — in Green's case going so far as to include the letters lawmakers now are required to sign certifying they and their spouse have no financial interest in any of the projects.

"I don't have any problem releasing our earmark requests — I just wish I could get them granted," Green joked.

His list, totaling $289 million, includes everything from $125 million for Metro's light-rail expansion to $100,000 for flood damage control on Hall's Bayou.

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Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, last week aced the audition to join the fiscally conservative House Blue Dog Coalition.

The group, formed in the mid-1990s by deficit-conscious Democrats, accepted Lampson and four others from a larger pool of applicants.

Lampson, who is sure to face a major re-election challenge next year, doubtless will use his Blue Dog membership to try to inoculate himself against Republican charges that he's too liberal for the 22nd District that Tom DeLay long represented.

That is going to be a tough sale for Lampson. He is a union supporter who votes with the liberals and has even voted to lose the Iraq war. He will have a tough time in a race where the Republicans are allowed to put their candidates name on the ballot.

I am not particularly surprised that these guys would put their earmarks on their web pages. They are trying to get points with their constituents by raiding the treasury on their behalf.