Cozy Corner

Since Porkbusters asked us to find out who put a hold on the earmark transparency bill:

Senators Tom Coburn and Barak Obama have proposed S.2590, legislation that would create a single website with access to information on nearly all recipients of federal funding. The bill cannot proceed, however, because one or more Senators placed a "secret hold" on it.

Who is the secret holder? We want to know, and we want your help finding out. Call your Senator, and ask them to go on the record denying that they placed the hold. Then e-mail Porkbusters and let us know what they said! Senators who issue denials will be removed from the suspect list --- and those who do not, won't!

I called my lovely senators.

Senator Ted Kennedy's office.

I spent a lot of time on silent hold. When the staffer finally remembered to pick up the phone, I got this response: "I won't be able to give you the answer you're looking for." I was then told to use the webform to ask my question. So I did. Awaiting response.

Senator John Kerry's office.

According to the staffer I spoke with, only members in the committee could have placed a hold on it. The staffer I spoke with asserted that it was not John Kerry, as he was not in that committee. The staffer then transferred me to the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee office, who then transferred me to the Federal Financial management subcommittee, where I talked to a pleasant staffer. She said I was the second caller today (I warned her there might be more), and volunteered to go investigate the hold, determine whether Sen. Kerry's staffer was correct in the candidates for placing the bill on hold.

Update: I called back to Sen. Kerry's office, and the staffer this time gave a more open response, that Sen. Kerry's has not made a statement yet. Left a webform note for Sen. Kerry, also.

Update 24 August: Chris in Sen. Kerry's office confirms that Sen. Kerry is a cosponsor of the bill, and has not placed the hold on it.