Promises Made, Not Kept (Rep. Paul Broun)

Candidate Barack Obama promised the American people more transparency in their government. In fact, BarackObama.com still posts his pledge that, “As President, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.”

However, the President signed the trillion dollar stimulus bill into law without adequate congressional or public scrutiny. You’d think $1 trillion would buy you time and a better debate — particularly considering that the heavy price tag will be paid for by future generations who do not have a voice in the discussion. Are liberals so fiscally jaded that that the “T” in trillion no longer sounds alarms?

Today, President Obama has the opportunity for redemption by keeping another promise to the American people: veto bills containing earmarks. In Oxford, Mississippi, then-candidate Obama said, “Absolutely we need earmark reform. And when I’m President, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.” I urge President Obama to keep his promise to reduce wasteful pet projects by vetoing the massive spending bill, loaded with nearly 8,000 earmarks, that the House passed and the Senate is considering. Following this administration’s failure to keep their promise of transparency during consideration of the stimulus, it is critical for the President to keep his word on earmarks and veto this pork-plagued bill.

Now is the time for the policies of this Administration to reflect, or at least resemble, their rhetoric. We all must work together with the President to deliver immediate relief for families and put America on a path towards economic recovery. However, I am troubled that promises made are not being kept. While I want to work together for solutions, I’m going to sound the alarm on provisions that move America towards socialism and burden hardworking families.

Cross-post from Redstate.com.