Senate Candidate David Dewhurst Signs CCAGW No Pork Pledge

(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today applauded Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, Republican candidate for Senate in Texas, for signing the group’s No Pork Pledge.

In signing the pledge, Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst agreed that he will not request any pork-barrel earmark, which is defined as meeting one of the following criteria:

• Requested by only one chamber of Congress
• Not specifically authorized
• Not competitively awarded
• Not requested by the President
• Greatly exceeds the President`s budget request or the previous year`s funding
• Not the subject of congressional hearings
• Serves only a local or special interest

“CCAGW has a 28-year history of opposing pork-barrel earmarks and we welcome Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst to the cause. Members who swear off earmarking are sending an unmistakable signal that they want to restore credibility to the budget process and revive the taxpayers’ trust in our elected representatives. Mr. Dewhurst’s opposition to earmarks is consistent with his long-standing support of CCAGW’s waste-cutting agenda, which dates back to the mid-1990s,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.

“Every dollar spent on frivolous pork amplifies the already ominous problems that lie ahead if government fails to rein its wasteful spending and mounting debt. Earmarks should be banned permanently, but many members have already expressed displeasure at the moratorium and have vowed to secure pork by other means. For that reason, it is especially heartening to have the support of David Dewhurst in our fight on the side of taxpayers, the largest, most-neglected interest group of them all.”

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. Signing the No Pork Pledge does not imply endorsement by CCAGW of a candidate for office.