Issue Position: Appropriations

Issue Position

One of my top priorities for South Dakota has been our state's continued economic development. As your elected representative, it is my job to work on your behalf here in Washington, D.C. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am proud of the work I have done in the Senate and the funding I helped direct home for economic development, new roads, and our schools and universities. I know the word "earmarks' has become a symbol for over-spending and government waste. In truth, however, congressionally-directed funding has tremendously benefited South Dakota. When handled responsibly, earmarks are a vital way to provide much-needed resources to local communities.

President Barack Obama promised in his State of the Union address in January 2011 to veto any legislation containing earmarks. The House of Representatives adopted an earmark moratorium for the 112th Congress, and in February 2012, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced that the moratorium on earmarks would continue through Fiscal Year 2013. The earmark moratorium will again remain in place this Congress.

I have always agreed that increased reporting and transparency is a necessary and important part of the earmark process, which is why I have supported congressional ethics reforms. As a result of these reforms, it became easier to identify which Member of Congress had requested funding for a project included in an appropriations bill. I believe that all expenditure items should be subject to open, timely, and careful review. Until the earmark moratorium, earmarks that came before the Senate were listed in the Appropriations Committee report. Senators and the public could identify these spending items and know exactly what was being voted on. Furthermore, all earmark requests were made available to the public here and the Appropriations Committee's website provided a link to every Senator's earmark requests.

Earmarks do not increase the level of federal spending contained in appropriations bills. The question is simply who decides how the dollars should be spent. Without congressional guidance on where that money should be spent, the task is left to nameless, faceless bureaucrats in Washington to direct money around the country as they see fit. The money is still spent, but it will likely be directed towards New York and Los Angeles, rather than Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and other communities throughout our state.

Despite the moratorium on earmarks, I stand by the projects for which I have helped secure funding during my time in Congress. These critical projects represent worthy investments in the people of South Dakota and our communities.

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