Landrieu Presses for Definition Of Earmarks
Last month, Chairman Inouye announced that a moratorium would be adopted by the Appropriations Committee on all earmarks. The committee is now in the process of thoroughly reviewing its earmark policy.
“Authorized, national programs such as Teach For America, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Reading Is Fundamental, National Writing Project, and Close Up are quite different from congressionally-directed spending items, which only benefit a specific state, congressional district or region, and change year-to-year,” Sen. Landrieu wrote. “These programs, on the other hand, have been authorized and are nationally-structured with many years of bipartisan support. They benefit millions of individuals and families in a majority of states, districts, and regions across the country. In short, national, authorized programs are not what has invoked the public’s demand for earmark reform and should not be classified as such.”
WASHINGTON – United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Ranking Member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., asking that as they work to ensure every Senator has a precise definition of what constitutes an earmark, they clarify that the term does not apply to authorized, national programs.
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