It is critical for Congress to pay closer attention to its checkbook and cut back on pork barrel spending. I have long been an advocate for the line-item veto and hope that we can restore this important tool to the President to trim wasteful spending. Earmark reform will also bring greater transparency, accountability and commonsense restraint to the federal budget process.
I strongly support creating a panel to identify ways to fix Washington’s wasteful spending habits to ensure that the days of the $320 million ‘bridge to nowhere’ in Alaska are a thing of the past.
H.CON.RES. 263 would establish a Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform composed of 8 members from the House and 8 members of the Senate – equally divided between Republicans and Democrats.
The Committee will be required to hold at least 5 public hearings while conducting a full study of earmarks in authorizing, appropriation, tax and tariff measures - the Committee will have six months to report and make recommendations to Congress. Most importantly, while the Committee is conducting the study, no earmarks would be considered by either the House or Senate. In other words, there will be real pressure to construct a better system that all Americans can be proud of.
It is well past time to turn off the spigot of wasteful spending. The creation of a Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform is a commonsense step to end waste and abuse in government and shine some sunlight on federal spending practices.
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