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Washington D.C.- During the House Budget Committee’s consideration of the FY2009 federal budget today, Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, and Congressman John Campbell, Chairman of the RSC Budget and Spending Taskforce, offered an amendment to enact an immediate earmark moratorium and create a select committee to develop ways to permanently change the broken spending process in Congress. The Republican Study Committee has led the effort to reform earmarks. Not one Democrat voted for the amendment. Hensarling issued the following statement after Democrats wasted another opportunity to provide accountability to the federal earmark process:
“Once again, when it came time to put their money where their mouths are, Democrats failed miserably to enact the earmark reform that they have promised. Instead, Democrats seem to prefer to waste taxpayer dollars on monuments to themselves, fake prison museums, and hippie museums. Let’s be honest, there is a better chance of an Elvis comeback tour than the Democrats reforming the broken earmark process on behalf of taxpayers who are forced send their money to Washington to pay for all kinds of wasteful pork projects.
“The Speaker of the House tells reporters that she would get rid of all earmarks, yet remains among Congress’ top recipients of pork. The Majority Leader claims to have cut the number of earmarks in half when in fact Congress approved the 2nd most earmarks in American history under his watch. Democrats have, in fact, increased the total spending on earmarks from the previous year. If that is how Democrats define reform, it’s no wonder their approval ratings continue to be lower than the drinking age. At least the Democrat Whip publicly admits to loving earmarks.
“Too often under Democrat watch, taxpayers see campaign donations going in one end of Capitol Hill and earmarks coming out of the other. Too often they see Democrats taking more out of their paycheck so some Congressman can keep his. While Democrats might be satisfied with business as usual in Washington, the American people are not. At a time when families are tightening their belts, it is an utter embarrassment for Democrats to put their stamp of approval on a completely broken system. Republicans in Congress will continue to work to reform the earmark process and show taxpayers and families across America that we are dramatically different from Democrats who continue to defend a broken Washington.”
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