McKeon Joins House Republicans to Force Greater Earmark Transparency

McKeon Joins House Republicans to Force Greater Earmark Transparency

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon joined his Republican colleagues in filing a petition to extend earmark transparency rules to all legislation that spends taxpayer money and to allow all earmarks to be challenged and debated on the House floor. In the Republican effort to rein in government spending, the discharge petition would force a vote on H. Res. 479, legislation that requires public disclosure of all taxpayer-funded earmarks in the House.

"While some very meaningful earmarks have filtered through the legislative process, the key to real, comprehensive reform and taxpayer protection is transparency and accountability," said McKeon.

"Democrats made a lot of promises before the last election cycle, including claims to ‘clean up' the earmark process," McKeon continued. "Yet, since June, when Republicans introduced this bill that would publicly attach names to earmark requests, Speaker Pelosi has refused to allocate time to hear the resolution on the House floor. The petition I signed today would force the Democrats to consider the resolution and follow-up their promises with real action."

"Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent and who is spending it. It's amazing how the ‘culture of excess' can change when the public eye is examining the process, so we need an earmark system that is open, honest and laced with scrutiny. For too long, Democrats have been filtering millions into their districts with little to no public attention."

Source