(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today announced its endorsement of the Obligation of Funds Transparency Act of 2005 (H.R. 1642), sponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), which would require earmarks to be included in the text of spending bills, thereby allowing members of Congress to more easily eliminate wasteful or unnecessary projects before approving appropriations bills. 

“Congressman Flake’s bill promises to bring desperately-needed accountability to the appropriations process,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “With a record 13,997 pork-barrel projects that cost $27.3 billion in fiscal 2005 and the deficit expected to reach $427 billion, there is not a moment to lose in the fight to curb the spendthrift antics on Capitol Hill.” 

The Transparency Act would require that government agencies fund earmarks only if they are contained in the actual legislative language, and not just in the committee or conference reports, thus making earmarks more visible and amendable before the legislation is passed.  This change will also allow greater debate on the merits of pork-barrel spending and force sponsoring members of Congress to explain to taxpayers why their project should be funded.

The legislation also contains “point of order” protection to prevent House rules from being waived with regard to attaching non-germane items in the conference report of a spending bill.  This provision would prevent pork-barrel projects which have not been seen or voted on by either the House or Senate membership in their respective spending bills from being added to the conference report.

Currently, members of the House cannot amend committee report language; they can only amend the actual text of a bill.  Because most earmarks are found in committee or conference reports, it is nearly impossible for members to introduce amendments that would remove such spending measures and force a debate as to why a specific project is important.

“This legislation would dramatically change business as usual in Washington,” concluded Schatz.  “It would force members of Congress to defend their pork projects and explain why, for example, a taxpayer in Arizona must pay for a local project in Alaska.” 

Rep. Flake, in reference to his bill, said, “I think we’d see a lot of pork projects disappear from spending bills if members were faced with the prospect of having to defend the merits of their projects on the House floor.”

Current co-sponsors of H.R. 1642 include Reps. Gutknecht (R-Minn.), Hostettler (R-Ind.), Jones (R-N.C.), Miller (R-Fla.), Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Westmoreland (R-Ga.), Hensarling (R-Texas), Johnson (R-Texas), Marchant (R-Texas), Pence (R-Ind.), Tancredo (R-Colo.), and Wilson (R-S.C.).   Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans to introduce companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

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