House GOP Adopts One Year Moratorium on Earmarks

AP

House Republicans Thursday vowed to stop the practice of inserting earmarks in legislation for one year. Earmarks are provisions inserted into spending bills that direct that funds be spent on a particular project, usually within the earmarking lawmaker's district.

The announcement comes on the heels of a move by House Democrats to ban earmarks to for-profit corporations. Such earmarks often benefit companies that make campaign contributions to the lawmaker who inserted them.

The move to limit earmarks comes as both parties seek to cast themselves as enemies of irresponsible spending heading into the November midterm elections.

"For millions of Americans, the earmark process in Congress has become a symbol of a broken Washington," House Republican Leader John Boehner said as the Republicans' one-year ban was announced. "Today House Republicans took an important step toward showing the American people we're serious about reform by adopting an immediate, unilateral ban on all earmarks."

At a press conference Thursday, Boehner said the move will "begin a process for bringing more transparency and actability to how we spend the American people's money."

Republican Whip Eric Cantor said the decision shows "we want to reform how the American taxpayer dollars are spent." He took aim at Democrats, saying their promise to run an open and ethical Congress "is being broken every day."

That claim was echoed by another member of the Republican leadership, Mike Pence, who said "House Republicans are making a clear break from the past."

According to the Associated Press, thousands of GOP earmarks requests will now be withdrawn.

[bradkt1]

This is nothing but a gimmick...pure political posturing. In no time, that one year will be over and the GOP will be right back to business as usual...that is, if they can get their members together on this...which I strongly doubt.

[myopinionpal]

They need to call it what it really is bribery money or vote buying money.

[tsigili]

Oh wow. A one year "moratorium". Yeah, that's really getting serious about reform, guys.....NOT!

[hateisafourletterword]

All right. Now we are on the way.

Now no earmarks for one year. Do I hear 10% reduction in spending anyone?

[stormerF2]

We need to ban Earmarks all together,but it does need to start some place,and if it is done right it could be accomplished ,but to try and do it with the fools who are in now it would fail,So we wait till the newly elected are in then push for a complete ban.

[SueZeeeQue]

Why didn't the GOP do this when they were in power?

[stormerF2]

Probably the same reason the Demos did not do it? Both were so use to the American Tax Payers being ignorant as to what their Tax Dollars were being spent on? They could get away with having their vote for a bill bought by earmarks.

[robbyr2]

Of course, well over 90% of earmarks do not increase spending. They merely tell the bureaucrats in Washington how to spend the money they are going to give them anyway. Now the bureaucrats get to spend it the way they want to.

[dmwj2]

YAY - I don't much care for Boehner, but I am happy to know that he does not participate in earmarks, and has encouraged the rest of the GOP to do so as well... but, let's make it from now on, and not just one year.

And DEMS, get on the bus with this idea!

[farmertommy]

what a crock, this is all smoke and mirrors,

as for earmarks, if the repugs are against them

now it is only because they have used them all up for the year

[hateisafourletterword]

farmer boy - it is spelled republicans. Please stop with the jerkish names. Is it so difficult to at least spell names correctly. Look you can disagree all you want with republicans, but do so in an intelligent way. Your word makes you look stupid.

[strangeworld]

Makes you wonder why republicans want the moratorium for just one year??? Maybe it's because they think that they're going to take over Congress this fall and want to be able to funnel the tax dollars of the middle-class to the wealthy through earmarks again as they have for the last 30 years.

Lets have a permanent ban on earmarks. Why is the GOP against a long term earmark moratorium. Republicans are ethically twisted.

[farmertommy]

right on dude, ride that wave man! Surf's up!

[jimbom121]

Why just one year??