Every Republican member of the California delegation in the House has signed a letter vowing to sustain a veto should President Bush reject Democrat-passed appropriations bills that ignore his spending guidelines. The one Republican who hasn’t: that big spender from California named Jerry Lewis.

Lewis, the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee, once again has shown a disregard for fiscal restraint. In this case, it’s just preposterous that he would side with Democrats. The fact that embattled Rep. Ken Calvert, also on the Appropriations Committee, signed the letter should be a good indicator of its importance. The Club for Growth has elevated this to the level of a “key vote.”

Rep. John Campbell (R.-Calif.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee’s Budget and Spending Task Force, has done a great job rounding up members to sign the letter. Campbell estimates it would save $23 billion for American taxpayers — the difference between the Democrat budget resolution and what Bush has put forward. In all, he has received commitments from 128 Republicans, meaning he’s just 18 shy of the number needed to sustain a veto.

Check back later for a list of the Republicans who haven’t signed. That should give Capitol Hill aides some time to get their boss’ name on the letter.

UPDATE — 1:03 p.m.: Jon Fleischman at the FlashReport takes Jerry Lewis to task for his failure to sign the letter.

UPDATE — 2:56 p.m.: Good news! Lewis has signed the letter.