Political Quotes

“I oppose the Coburn amendment to impose a 3-year moratorium on spending for local priorities, or ``earmarks.'' Those who support this amendment claim that it will help reduce the deficit and put us on the path to fiscal responsibility. This is just incorrect. Eliminating earmarks would not reduce spending and does nothing to decrease the deficit. This amendment would merely transfer spending authority away from elected members of Congress to the executive branch. The Coburn amendment would strip elected leaders' ability to direct funding to their constituents' priorities. We should all agree that elected Members of Congress have a much better understanding of what is needed in our cities and towns, and across our States than those sitting in Washington, DC. In addition, since 2006, Democrats have instituted a series of major reforms that have made earmarks more transparent than ever, and have reduced earmark levels by 50 percent. Members of Congress are now required to list their names next to requested projects and to post all requests on their official Web site. Through these initiatives Congress has taken significant steps to improve transparency and allow for greater scrutiny of these requests.”