Pork chops

Politics: Conservative Republicans block a last-minute spending binge by their own party | Mark Bergin

With the balance of power in both chambers of Congress set to tip Democratic next month, Republicans have one last chance to wield their majority before at least two years of impotence. But GOP Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina have forced the party to forfeit that opportunity, blocking the passage of pork-laden appropriations bills. In the name of fiscal conservatism, Coburn and DeMint would rather leave the 2007 federal budget in the hands of Democrats—a biting indictment of Republican spending habits.

"There are a lot of Democrats in the Senate and the House that ran on fiscal responsibility," DeMint spokesman Wesley Denton told WORLD. "Let's see if they're going to walk the walk they talked about on the campaign trail. If they do, that's wonderful."