I posted earlier about thinking I heard a veiled reference to signing statements in the State of the Union address. Looking through the text of the speech, I appear to have been in error:
The people’s trust in their government is undermined by congressional earmarks, special interest projects that are often snuck in at the last minute without discussion or debate. Last year I asked you to voluntarily cut the number and cost of earmarks in half. I also asked you to stop slipping earmarks into committee reports that never even come to a vote.
Unfortunately, neither goal was met. So this time, if you send me an appropriations bill that does not cut the number and cost of earmarks in half, I’ll send it back to you with my veto. And tomorrow I will issue an executive order that directs federal agencies to ignore any future earmark that is not voted on by Congress. If these items are truly worth funding, the Congress should debate them in the open and hold a public vote.
(Emphasis mine)
I’ve become too cynical, perhaps. I can respect the issuance of an executive order against earmark expenditures. Whether it will have teeth or be enforced, remains to be seen.
(*yawn* Is it January 20th yet?)