House appropriator wants Flake on spending panel

Earmark foe Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) has found an unlikely ally in his bid to nab a seat on the House Appropriations Committee: panel member Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.).

The key House appropriator has been quietly calling members of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), advocating for his unusual pick for the open slot on the powerful panel left vacant by ex-Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), according to several sources familiar with the calls. Wicker was recently selected to replace the now-retired Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.).

{mosads}Members contacted include RSC Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), the sources said. Hensarling could not be reached for comment. Spokesmen for Flake and Kingston also declined to comment.

Kingston has not been shy in securing earmarks for his Savannah district, but has made the case for earmark transparency. However, taxpayer groups and conservative blogs have criticized Kingston for not voting for any of Flake’s 19 floor amendments in 2006 aimed at striking earmarks. Other members in the House Georgia Republican delegation voted with Flake on many of them.

Conservative blog RedState.org has endorsed Flake’s uphill battle to win the Appropriations seat.

“The Republican leadership has a great opportunity to prove that it is serious about earmark reform and a conservative approach to spending,” RedState editor Erick Erickson wrote in a Thursday post. “It’s time to put some action behind their rhetoric.”

RedState took a swipe at National Republican Congressional Committee(NRCC) Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.), who is also vying for the Appropriations slot. In its post, RedState alluded to NRCC’s fundraising efforts, which have attracted criticism in GOP circles.

“[Cole] claims that putting him on the Appropriations Committee will help improve Republican fundraising successes … That, in and of itself, should tell you everything you need to know about why Tom Cole is a poor choice,” the post said.

“Congressman Cole respects all of his colleagues who are also seeking this appointment,” said Cole spokeswoman Liz Eddy. “He has been quietly making his case to members of the Steering Committee and is confident they will make a decision in the best interests of the Republican Conference.”

The spending panel opening puts House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who holds the most votes on the Steering Committee, in a tough political position. He clashed with Cole last year over the NRCC’s staffing and fundraising, so if Cole isn’t appointed to the Appropriations Committee, it will trigger more speculation that the two leaders do not get along.

Meanwhile, Boehner’s personal position on earmarks is somewhat similar to Flake’s — even though Boehner, like Kingston, did not vote for any of Flake’s 19 anti-earmark amendments in 2006.

Flake sent a letter to Boehner Tuesday expressing his interest in the spot.

“Over the past few years I have offered nearly 100 amendments on the House floor to strike wasteful earmarks in appropriations bills, with very limited success. … By the time these bills come to the House floor the die is pretty much cast,” Flake wrote in the letter. “Wouldn't it make sense to have at least one Republican member of the Appropriations Committee who doesn't earmark?”

To complicate matters further for Boehner, his GOP Ohio colleague Rep. Michael Turner wants the seat as well.

Boehner does not seek earmarks for his district and has called for them to be curtailed, but has stopped far short of seeking an earmark ban. Even though more House Republicans are becoming more outspoken on the use of earmarks, it is highly unlikely Flake has the votes to get on the Appropriations Committee because he has rubbed GOP members the wrong way with his anti-pork crusade.

Kingston does not sit on the Steering Committee.

RedState is undeterred, however. Erickson told The Hill, “We will be blasting out an e-mail to over 100,000 people to accompany the post … we are in some preliminary talks with other groups to make it a concerted effort both online and offline in the right-of-center community.”

Erickson declined to name the other groups involved.

In addition to Cole, Flake and Turner, Republican Reps. Henry Brown Jr. (S.C.), Jo Bonner (Ala.) and Dave Reichert (Wash.) have expressed interest in the open committee position.