Obey pushes spending curb

Wausau congressman holds listening session in Davies

Nathaniel Shuda

Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Campus News

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U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., speaks in the President's Room of Davies Center Tuesday. Discussion included the Iraq War and the No Child Left Behind Act.

In little more than a month since gaining power, Democrats on Capitol Hill have been working hard to change the direction of national policy, U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., said Tuesday morning during a visit to UW-Eau Claire.

At a listening session in the President's Room of Davies Center, the new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee spoke to about 20 people about the transition of power within both houses of the nation's legislature and outlined several new budget priorities.

"Elections do produce results. The American people spoke up," he said. "We've got a lot of … things to do."

With a plan to eliminate all legislative earmarking, Obey said he and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., hope to curb legislative spending.

"That process has been corrupted by a few scheissters," Obey said. "If earmarks resume next year, they will be 50 percent at the most (of what they are now)."

The recent House resolution to get active-duty troops out of Iraq after a one-year period and keep troops at home for a year before sending them back is only the beginning of a long exit strategy, he said.

Obey said he also hopes to initiate legislation that would require a Congressional vote before engaging in military action.

"I think Iraq is the worst policy mistake this country has made in my lifetime," Obey said. "We've established the first step in trying to wean the president off his plan for Iraq."

But U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., said in a statement Friday that President Bush's surge proposal would help stabilize the region.

"I think we need to define 'victory' in Iraq as reasonable stability with reasonably benign and reasonably representative government," Petri said, "Our current effort to create a multicultural democracy has too much to overcome."

Obey also addressed the president's No Child Left Behind Act. He said it will not survive in its current form and Democratic leadership will try to increase funding for schools to live up to the expectations, but he doesn't expect there to be any major changes.

"People are smoking something that ain't legal if they think we're going to be able to get any significant increases," he said.

Senior and College Democrats member Jacob Boer, one of only three students to attend the event, said he agreed with Obey.

"He seems consistent with what I've been hearing, with the president refusing to take advice on the Iraq war," Boer said. "In general, I'm suspicious of whatever the president says."

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