Senator McCain Calls For A Complete Ban On All Earmarks

March 15, 2010

Last Friday, Senator McCain called for a complete ban on all earmarks until the budget is balanced and the deficit is eliminated. In his statement Senator McCain said the following:

“For over 20 years I have fought vigorously against the wasteful practice of earmarking. This fight was often a lonely one and has not won me many friends in this town over the years. But it is an important fight, and I am confident that, in the end, the opponents of this practice will be victorious. The corruption which stems from earmarking has resulted in current and former Members of both
the House and Senate either under investigation, under indictment, or in prison.

“I was pleased to see that the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee have finally recognized earmarks for what they really are – a corrupting influence that should not be tolerated in these times of fiscal crisis. I applaud my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate who have called for a year-long moratorium on all earmarks and I fully support and join them in those efforts. But I also think we need to do more. We need a complete ban on earmarks until our budget is balanced and we’ve eliminated our massive deficit. Later today, I intend to offer an amendment to do just that and I encourage my colleagues to join me in this effort – it’s what the American people want and we have an obligation to give it to them.

“We, as Members of Congress, owe it to the American people to conduct ourselves in a way that reinforces, rather than diminishes, the public’s faith and confidence in Congress. An informed citizenry is essential to a thriving democracy, and, a democratic government operates best in the disinfecting light of the public eye. By seriously addressing the corrupting influence of earmarks, we will allow Members to legislate with the imperative that our government must be free from corrupting influences, both real and perceived. We must act now to ensure that the erosion we see today in the public’s confidence in Congress does not become a complete collapse of faith in our institutions. We can, and we must, end the practice of earmarking.”

The Washington Post wrote on the House Republican efforts and Senator McCain's actions in their Politics and Policy section yesterday. You can read it here.