Kline's anti-pork effort draws support

The four-term congressman has gotten 41 other House members to swear off earmarks.

By MITCH ANDERSON, Star Tribune

Last update: January 7, 2009 - 11:17 AM

WASHINGTON - While 54 new U.S. House members were busy Tuesday morning getting ready for their official swearing-in ceremony, four-term Rep. John Kline was drumming up support for his no-earmarks pledge.

Hand-delivering petitions to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Kline continued his push to end wasteful spending by eliminating the current earmark system. The Minnesota Republican calls the system of special funding for pet projects a "corrupt" influence in Congress, and for the past two years has refused to accept any.

"It took me a little while to realize projects are awarded based on what committee you're in, what party you're in, how long you've been here and all those sorts of things," he said. "It doesn't really work out in any meritorious way."

Critics have said Kline has made his stand at the expense of constituents in his district and say he became pure on pork only after his party lost control of Congress in 2006. Kline has obtained, and taken public credit for, millions of dollars in major projects for his district in recent years, including $10 million for the Cedar Avenue project and $2.4 million for safety upgrades to Hwy. 13 in Burnsville and Savage.

But Kline said that those came before he made the pledge and that the change wasn't a result of partisan politics.

Now, the number of House members making similar pledges is up to 41, including six Democrats, compared with a dozen total pledges the year before. GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann is the only other member of the current Minnesota delegation on board.

Kline warned that eliminating wasteful spending is especially important now as Congress makes way for an economic stimulus package that some estimates have placed as high as $1 trillion.

"There are enough of us pushing to stop [wasteful spending] now, I feel the momentum is on our side," he said. "I'm more confident about our chances than I was two years ago."

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