Competing Plans Introduced On Congressional Earmarks

Congressional Democrats and Republicans have issued competing plans intended to reign in earmark spending. But it remains to be seen whether the U.S. Senate will be willing to go along with any restrictions.

Democrats started it by announcing a ban on corporate earmarks. House Republicans in turn voted for a one-year moratorium on all earmarks. Congressman Marsha Blackburn calls that a good start.

“Having a ban on earmarks is something that some of us have been after for a long time.”

“Earmark” is the short-hand term for Congressionally-directed spending on local projects. Blackburn went cold turkey last year. Senator Lamar Alexander has been less inclined to forgo earmarks preemptively.

“I’m ready to vote for more reforms. I’m not ready to give away the Congress’ right to appropriate money… Under the Constitution, that’s my job.”

Earmarks account for roughly two-percent of federal spending. Alexander says they have been abused –

“But I don’t want that to be the whole discussion about debt reduction, because we could eliminate all the earmarks and we could still be on our way to Armageddon in terms of our national debt.”

Last year, Tennessee received more than half a billion dollars in earmarks for 130 projects.

Elizabeth Wynne Johnson filed this report.