Reid Cold On Earmark Ban

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has indicated that he will not support efforts from Senate Republicans to place a moratorium on earmarks.

“I have an obligation to the people of Nevada to do what is important to Nevada,” the AP quotes Reid as saying. “I am not … personally going to back off of bringing stuff back to Nevada.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has recently announced that he will support an earmark moratorium following Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) crusade against the direct funding provision.

Although support for the earmark ban has stronger support in the Republican party, it is not monolithic. Moderate Republican Senator Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) said in a statement Tuesday that the proposed moratorium will do little to cut spending.

“Congress should focus on reducing spending on both entitlement and discretionary spending programs,” Lugar said. “Providing the Obama Administration with greater authority to direct spending does not accomplish this goal, and eliminating earmarks does not reduce spending.”