Last week, millions of Americans sent an undeniable message to Washington: ENOUGH of the wasteful spending and big-government policies that are bankrupting our nation! But it seems as though some Washington insiders are already dismissing voters, as Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is quietly trying to kill an effort by Taxpayer’s Friend Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) to institute a 2-year moratorium on earmarks in the Republican Conference. If you don’t want to continue to see money flowing for Bridges to Nowhere, indoor rainforests, and teapot museums, we ask that you speak out and urge your Republican Senator(s) to support the DeMint earmark moratorium!
Our friends at Taxpayers Against Earmarks have put together a site at endingspending.com where you can call your Senator(s) and ask them if they’ll commit to supporting the DeMint earmark moratorium when the Republican Conference votes on it next Tuesday, November 16. Then you can send an email to info@endingspending.com to report their responses which will be updated on the site. Visit the site today, call your Senator(s), and report back about their answer.
NTU has long been a supporter of efforts to rein in wasteful, pork-laden spending. Earmarks serve as gateway drugs to massive spending proposals, such as bloated omnibus and off-budget “emergency” supplemental packages, as well as political bribery for votes on controversial legislation like last year’s House-passed cap-and-trade bill. In 2009, Congress authorized 11,320 earmarks, totaling $32 billion – hardly an insignificant sum. An earmark moratorium would make great strides in protecting taxpayers from the handouts that have deservedly earned much public enmity in recent years.
Below is a list of those Senators who are yet to (publicly) commit one way or the other. We assume Senators-elect Blunt, Boozman, Kirk, and Moran will support DeMint since they were a part of last year’s unanimous vote in the House Republican Conference. If an earmark moratorium was good enough for the House in 2010, why isn’t it good enough for the Senate in 2011 and 2012?
If you live in any of these states, please take action now. Tuesday’s vote is a secret ballot, so public accountability is critical! Call your Senator(s) and ask them where they stand and how they plan to vote on Tuesday. Be clear that you will not tolerate a leader who represents special interests before the interests of American taxpayers.
Lamar Alexander (TN)
Rob Portman (OH)
Susan Collins (ME)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
Lindsey Graham (SC)
Chuck Grassley (IA)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Mike Crapo (ID)
Jim Risch (ID)
Orrin Hatch (UT)
John Thune (SD)
John Barrasso (WY)
Mike Johanns (NE)
Jon Kyl (AZ)
David Vitter (LA)