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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

GOP Sens. Murkowski (AK), Inhofe (OK), Cochran (MS): Don't Care About Earmark Ban, We'll Do It Anyway/ Update: Cochran: On Second Thought: Maybe Not

While the Senate Majority Leader McConnell and other GOP senators are reversing course over an earmark ban, other Republican Senators continue to stand firm on their desire to bring home the bacon:

“I don’t think so,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said when asked if she would comply with the resolution. Murkowski said the ban is merely “about messaging” and would give a misleading impression of taking on the deficit. “I don’t think it is being straight up with the public,” she said.

Appropriations ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., would not commit to complying with a ban resolution, saying he would see “what other options” are available. And Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said he was unlikely to honor the ban. He introduced legislation Monday to change the earmarking process, including barring congressional aides from participating in fundraising activities; creating a new database of all earmarks; giving the Government Accountability Office the power to randomly audit earmarks; and requiring lawmakers to certify that a recipient of an earmark is qualified to handle the project being funded.


This is a direct slap in the face all of those that voted for Washington to cut all of this spending.

Inhofe is usually a hard fiscal conseravtive, but Cochran, who led the Senatorial field for bringing home the bacon (according to a study by Citizens Against Government Waste released in April 2010), won an astounding $485 million in earmarks this year. Also, Murkowski, if she wins the election, is well-known for being a RINO and bucking Republican leadership.

So, believe that Inhofe will probably reverse course, but Murkowski and Cochran are too dependent on earmarks to turn back easily and quickly. They'll need a Damascus moment to quit their addiction.
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Update

Via a tweet from @senatus:

Cochran on earmark moratorium (via release): "I will take the views of my Republican colleagues to heart."

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