Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today challenged Republicans to prove their dedication to fiscal conservatism by adopting a party-wide earmark moratorium before the July recess.  On June 11, House Republican leadership unveiled an economic reform agenda, which includes an earmark moratorium, to be executed in the event that Republicans regain the House in November. 

“The time for earmark reform is now,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.  “Republicans must demonstrate leadership and a commitment to keeping wasteful, pork-barrel spending out of the 2009 budget if they want a chance to regain their majority in Congress.”

As CAGW’s 2008 Congressional Pig Book discovered, in fiscal year 2008, Congress stuffed 11,610 projects worth $17.2 billion in to the 12 appropriations bills.  The top two porkers in both the House and Senate were Republicans.

In March, a Senate amendment to the 2009 budget resolution to impose a year-long moratorium on congressional earmarks was co-sponsored by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), among others, but lost 29-71.  Thirty-nine Representatives and seven Senators have made personal pledges not to request any new earmarks this year.

“Earmarking invites fraudulent and corrupt behavior.  Just last week it was revealed that former Congressman John Sweeney is being investigated by the Justice Department for his role in directing earmarks to a lobbyist,” Schatz continued.

CCAGW has a 10-point Earmark Reform Pledge for members of Congress and candidates that would significantly reduce or eliminate the number of earmarks.  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.

“A year-long moratorium is an important step toward ending Congress’s addiction to earmarking.  It will allow time for members to reform the process, devote more attention to critical national issues, and help keep money in taxpayers’ wallets instead of being diverted to Washington where it can be converted into pork,” concluded Schatz.