As President Bush calls on the Senate to pass its version of line-item veto legislation as a means of controlling government spending, it’s important to keep in mind just how much pork barrel spending is in relation to other important budget data points. According to Citizens Against Government Waste, the government spent $23.7 billion on "pork-barrel" spending. No small sum, for sure. But, $23.7 billion is but a fraction (7.5%) of the $317 billion FY2005 federal budget deficit. At less than one percent (0.96%) of the $2.5 trillion the government spent in 2005, it’s barely recognizable.

Although the Senate defeated two minimum wage increase proposals last week, Democrats in the House are working to bring their minimum wage hike to a floor vote. Their resolve is grounded in a simple principal neatly summarized by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD): "We want people to work hard and play by the rules. And when they do, they should not be relegated to poverty."

Yesterday the House, under suspension of the rules, passed H.R 5060 - a one-sided bill sponsored by Reps. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Tom Davis (R-VA) that would require all domestic grants made by the federal government to be posted to a new free, searchable public website.