President Bush will issue an executive order Jan. 29 requiring agencies to ignore any earmarks in authorization bills or committee reports unless they are debated in the open by Congress and included in a law.

“The people’s trust in their government is undermined by congressional earmarks, special interest projects often snuck in at the last minute without discussion or debate,” Bush said, announcing the impending executive order in tonight’s State of the Union address. “If these items are truly worth funding, Congress should debate them in the open and hold a public vote.”

Bush also said he would not accept a large number of earmarks in the future.

“Last year, I asked you to voluntarily cut the number of earmarks in half, and I also asked you to stop slipping earmarks into committee reports that never come to a vote,” Bush said. “Unfortunately, neither goal was met. So this time, if you send me an appropriations bill that does not cut the number and cost of earmarks in half, I will send it back to you with my veto.”

Along with earmarks, Bush is taking aim at programs that are not working or wasting money. He said he would recommend ending or severely cutting back 151 programs worth more than $118 billion in his 2009 budget request that White House officials will submit to Congress Feb. 4.

“Just as we trust the Americans with their own money, we need to earn their trust by spending tax dollars wisely,” Bush said. “The budget that I will submit will keep on track for a surplus in 2012. American families have to balance their budget, so should their government.”

The Office of Management and Budget found that Congress included more than 11,000 earmarks worth more than $16.8 billion in the fiscal 2008 omnibus spending bill, according to the Web site Earmarks.OMB.gov.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill had the most earmarks with 2,439, while the Defense Authorization bill included the most money for earmarks at more than $6.6 billion.

The executive order will tell agencies not to obligate or expend funds from a nonstatutory source, including requests in committee reports, other congressional documents, or communications from or on behalf of lawmakers, according to a White House briefing paper on the upcoming mandate.