Pork Barrel Spending Must Go

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill

The holiday season has arrived once again and families across the state of Missouri will be spending this week giving thanks for what they have. But holiday season also means many families will be looking at their budgets and wondering how they’re going to put food on the table and presents under the tree. Americans have been tightening their budgets and they want Washington to do the same.

Over this past week, I’ve been fighting to bring some fiscal discipline to the Senate, starting with ending the practice of earmarking. This is not a new fight for me. Since I was elected to the Senate in 2006, I’ve been one of only six senators not to request earmarks and have introduced and co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to end or at least reform the practice.

For too long, the earmark practice has been known for its secrecy and lack of oversight, and funding for pet projects is often awarded based on political influence rather than the merits of the projects. Money is doled out to senators based on their party, what committees they sit on, how long they’ve served in office and even if they are in political trouble. That is not how we should be spending the taxpayers’ money. It’s true that there are worthwhile projects funded by earmarks. It’s not always the projects I take issue with, it’s the process. I believe competitive, merit- and need-based federal grants and formula funding brings federal dollars to Missouri in an honest and fiscally responsible manner. It’s time to end earmarks.

This week, my Republican colleagues pledged not to take earmarks for the next two years. I’ve been fighting my party leadership, asking them to seriously consider a similar measure. It’s been a lonely fight on my side of the aisle, since there will only be two of us earmark reformers in the next Congress, but I won’t give up. In fact, last week, I sponsored an amendment with Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), John McCain (R-AZ) and Mark Udall (D-CO) to ban earmarks from appropriations bills for the next two years and we are hoping to force a vote in the Senate after Thanksgiving that will put Republicans and Democrats alike on the record with their position. Too often the counter argument for the practice is that earmarks are only a small percentage of the federal budget, and won’t affect our bottom line. Last year, there was $16 billion worth of earmarks in federal spending bills. I think that is a pretty good start. But these folks do have a point. We can’t solve our deficit problems just by eliminating earmarks. That is why I’ve also been working with my colleague Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to enact caps on the growth of discretionary spending, fought for pay-as-you-go rules for the Senate and advocated the creation of the bipartisan fiscal commission that is examining all aspects of our debt problem.

Earmarks, however, are a symptom of a much larger problem. If we can’t agree to end a practice with little transparency that is based on political influence rather than merit, how will we ever reach a point where we can address the serious decisions we have to make when it comes to our deficit and debt?

It’s no longer good enough for us to just talk turkey; we have to start making the hard decisions for which Americans can be thankful.