Political Quotes

“there are two problems, at least, with the amendment. First, we try in the bipartisan Reid-McConnell earmark reform to include not only appropriations earmarks but also tax benefits. It is the same deal. You either send a million dollars to a corporation in an appropriations earmark or in a tax benefit. So we include both. The language of Senator DeMint's amendment, unfortunately, waters that down and weakens it. Secondly, we have more stringent reporting requirements in the Reid-McConnell amendment than in the DeMint amendment. There is no reason to walk backward here. We are moving forward toward reform of earmarks. I don't know if it was a drafting error or what, but the DeMint amendment makes language on tax earmarks weaker and the reporting requirements weaker as well. The strategy today to table this amendment that would move from 5 percent of earmarks to 100 percent does not seem to be an open and honest part of the process to get at a better ethics reform bill.”