President Barack Obama plans to sign a massive spending bill to keep the federal government running, but he is cracking down on lawmakers'' penchant for stuffing such legislation with billions of dollars in pet projects.
Obama could sign the $410 billion spending package as early as Wednesday, although he remains "troubled" by the so-called earmarks in the bill that Republicans and moderate Democrats have eviscerated as unworthy pork-barrel spending. The president was to announce earmark reforms on Wednesday.
White House officials in recent weeks have dismissed criticism of the earmarks in the bill, saying the legislation was a remnant of last year and that the president planned to turn his attention to future spending instead of looking backward.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama wouldn''t be the first president to sign legislation that he viewed as less than ideal. Asked whether Obama had second thoughts about signing the bill, Gibbs'' reply was curt: "No."
"This is necessary to continue funding government," Gibbs said. "It represents last year''s business. Although it''s not perfect, the president will sign the legislation, but demonstrate for all involved rules moving forward that he thinks can make this process work a little bit better."
It''s that process that administration official planned to focus on Wednesday, not a bill signing that might take place in private. Aides said the administration would move to introduce new "rules of the road" that could allow Obama greater sway over lawmakers, particularly on politically embarrassing spending that generated mockery from pundits and rival politicians.
Tajikistan sends humanitarian aid to the flood-affected Kazakhstan
Tajikistan presents its tourism opportunities at High-Level Tourism Policy Forum in Korea
Tajik, Kyrgyz border services make joint statement
Russia to be with Taliban along the way? Russia preparing to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan
Iranian media reports say three drones downed after explosions heard in Isfahan
Many regions in Russia impose more and more restrictions on the types of jobs migrants can hold
USAID launches a new US$18 million initiative to boost economic growth in Tajikistan
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan sign the Allied Relations Treaty
Tajik, Uzbek leaders discuss issues of expanding bilateral cooperation between their countries
Tajik-Uzbek Investment Company plans to finance implementation of 14 projects with a total worth of US$135 million
All news
Авторизуйтесь, пожалуйста