Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today participated in a rally to support the amendment being offered by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) to the 2009 budget resolution that will impose a year-long moratorium on congressional earmarks.  The co-sponsors include three Senate Democrats, Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), along with five other Senate Republicans. 

“A year-long moratorium is a critical step forward to stopping Congress’s addiction to earmarking.  It will give members time to reform the process, devote more effort to critical issues, and help keep money in taxpayers’ wallets instead of being diverted to Washington where it can be converted into pork,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.

Taxpayers often hear from their elected officials that earmarks are good and are a way to bring back federal dollars to their district.  They ignore the basic fact that earmarks are awarded based on political power, not merit.  Approximately 60 percent of earmarks go to the majority party, 40 percent to the minority party. 

“Earmarking invites fraudulent behavior, hollows out our national defenses, and diverts lawmakers’ attention from important national business like saving Medicare and Social Security for future generations.  Many congressional offices have one or more staffers dedicated solely to procuring earmarks,” continued Schatz.

CCAGW has a 10-point Earmark Reform Pledge for members of Congress and candidates.  Signatories pledge that they will not request any earmark that would come from a federal program that is not currently authorized by Congress; does not serve a federal interest and/or have a federal nexus; would be directed toward a specific private entity that was not requested by an agency; is for an entity located outside of the state they represent; and is not included within the text of the bill.

“Voting for the DeMint-McCain earmark moratorium amendment would demonstrate a commitment to keeping wasteful, pork-barrel spending out of the 2009 budget and allow time for real reform,” Schatz concluded.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.