The debate over the efficacy and even-handedness of the new House earmarks disclosure rule continues. The rule requires that earmarks’ sponsors be identified by name in legislation and conference reports. It expires when the 109th COngress adjourns, unless re-adopted by the new House next year. The issues of the definition of earmarks and whether any tax expenditures would really qualify are reviewed in a meaty article today by BNA.

CQ reports ($$) that the House Appropriations Committee Chairman -Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)- did not renew the contracts of 60 investigators who examined federal spending. About 16 investigators remain on staff, but given the contractor reduction, no investigations will be going forward any time soon. Committee spokesman John Scofield said Thursday that the contracts were not renewed because the panel is conducting a “bipartisan review” of the unit’s staff. “Frankly, the work we’ve been getting as of late has not been that good,” Scofield said. “There is nothing sinister going on.”

Our Matt Lewis referred target="_blank">below to a target="_blank">Washington Post article this week speculating about whether Administration tax policy can be credited with lowering the budget deficit. Midstream, that article also offhandedly mentions that “subtleties of that argument have been lost on the campaign trail.” So, what economic issues are voters thinking about? No idle question, 19 days before the midterm elections.

Budget pressures may lead to the elimination of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program for low-income people and minorities. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: A federal program to safeguard poor and racially diverse communities from pollution and other environmental harm is at risk of being dissolved, activists say. The Environmental Protection Agency's Northwest regional office has proposed reassigning members of its environmental-justice program to new divisions and eliminating its director's position, according to government officials.