Senate Duo Looks To Permanently Eliminate Earmarks

A bipartisan Senate duo introduced legislation Wednesday that would permanently eliminate earmarks. 

Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told reporters that their bill was “an effort to change the culture of Congress” and reign in wasteful spending. 

“We can’t afford to waste money this way,” Toomey said. 

Just over a year ago, both Toomey and McCaskill spearheaded and were successful in implementing a moratorium on earmark spending. Unfortunately, members have been able to find loopholes around the moratorium, according to McCaskill.

“I was shocked when I saw the House Armed Services Committee put into the Defense Authorization bill hundreds of earmarks,” McCaskill said. “Now, they claimed they weren’t earmarks but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. And these were earmarks, no question about it. 

The discrepancies in processing earmarks have resulted in their mismanagement, and, according to Toomey, have resulted in nearly $33 billion in wasteful spending over the past 15 years. Toomey also argued that the process has become a method for members to lock in votes on bills earmarks are attached to. 

“Earmarks became a currency that was used to buy votes,” Toomey said. “If somebody asked for an earmark in a bill and they got their earmark, they were obligated to vote for the bill regardless of how  bloated [and] wasteful it was.”

As it stands, neither party’s leadership has been approached regarding the bill, but McCaskill said that if, after having been brought to the floor for a vote, members fail to vote for eliminating earmarks it would be “the cherry on top of Congress’ dysfuncitonal sundae.”