President Obama's pledge to veto legislation containing earmarks is apparently getting a cool reception from lawmakers in his own party.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., today added their objections to those voiced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Senate Democratic leader on Tuesday derided Obama's veto threat as "a lot of pretty talk."

Earmarks are congressionally directed projects, which critics sometimes deride as pork-barrel spending. Republicans have placed a ban on earmarks, in a bid to help reduce federal spending.

USA TODAY's Richard Wolf and Gregory Korte note in their factcheck of Obama's State of the Union Address that earmarks account for about $16 billion, or less than 0.5%, of the $3.8 trillion federal budget.

Hoyer, speaking on CNN this morning, said he "wasn't very taken" with Obama's call.

Manchin, who will face voters again next year, said in a statement today that "we must stop confusing sound investments with wasteful spending."

"So I strongly disagree with the president's plan to veto all earmarks," Manchin said. "While earmarks were misused in the past, I truly believe that spending geared toward infrastructure -- when done in a transparent manner -- is a commonsense investment in countless communities in West Virginia and around the country."

In November, Manchin won a special election to serve out the remaining Senate term of Democrat Robert Byrd, who died last summer. Byrd was one of the most prolific senators when it came to directing federal funds back home.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is also among the Democratic dissenters on Obama's veto pledge. She told Politico that "it's very short-sighted policy, and it's going to be very hurtful to Louisiana and a lot of states."