Cornyn Announces Support for One-Year Moratorium on Earmarks

Statement

Cornyn Announces Support for One-Year Moratorium on Earmarks

Says Taxpayers Deserve and Demand Greater Accountability from Washington

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a member of the Senate Budget Committee, made the following statement this morning regarding his decision to co-sponsor an amendment offered by Senator Jim DeMint, R-SC, to implement a one-year moratorium on all congressional earmarks during the FY 2009 appropriations cycle:

"America's founding fathers understood a free society could not exist without informed citizens and an open, accessible government. That's why strengthening government transparency and accountability has been among my highest priorities since coming to the Senate. The more information that we can put in the hands of the American people about what Congress does on a daily basis, the stronger our democracy will be. I can think of no area where accountability is more important than the process of how taxpayer dollars are spent.

"Members of Congress, and not just bureaucrats in Washington, should have a say in how their constituents' tax dollars are allocated. But every earmark ought to be debated and voted on in the clear light of day. There should be a sufficient time period for review and a searchable database so that interested citizens can study the merits of earmarks before they are voted on.

"The current system is broken and it needs to be fixed. Taxpayers in Texas, and across the country, demand and deserve greater fiscal discipline and accountability in Washington. I've worked hard in the Senate to reduce the size of government and eliminate wasteful spending—saving taxpayers' money. It is my hope that by implementing this moratorium and working together to fix this broken process, Congress will send a clear message to the American people that we are listening."

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