Udall Recommended Ban on Earmarks as a Means to Cutting Wasteful Government SpendingToday, Mark Udall applauded the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee for following his recommendation and implementing a moratorium on earmarks. Udall is one of only two Democratic Senators pushing for an earmark ban.
In November 2010, Udall decided to stop asking for earmarks and joined a bipartisan coalition of senators fighting to end the practice of setting aside federal dollars for pet projects. As a result of his work, he was asked by Senate Democratic leaders to help head up a task force on earmark reform. Today’s decision by the Appropriations Committee reflects Udall’s work on that task force.
“I’ve been increasingly concerned about how our country will cut down on wasteful spending and dig out of our economic hole,” Udall said. “Banning earmarks is a move that makes sense. Earmarks are a small part of the budget, but they’re both a cause and a symptom of our spending problems.”
“Today’s announcement clearly shows that Congress is serious about stabilizing our fiscal health so that we can get on track to win the global economic race,” he continued. “This is a critical step forward that I hope leads to a historic change in the way we spend the taxpayers’ money.”
Udall has been a longtime proponent of responsible budgeting tools to rein in federal spending, including “pay-as-you-go” budgeting and a line-item veto. He also is among a small bipartisan group of senators urging an up-or-down vote on the recommendations of the President’s commission on reducing the federal debt. More information on Udall’s fight to ban earmarks in Washington is available HERE.
