Amy Klobuchar: “I firmly believe the appropriations process needs to be changed. I have supported strong reforms to increase…”

“I firmly believe the appropriations process needs to be changed. I have supported strong reforms to increase transparency and accountability, and have pushed hard for these necessary reforms while ensuring that my State of Minnesota is not put at a competitive disadvantage. In fact, before being sworn in as a U.S. Senator, I promised Minnesotans that I would fight to fund their priorities in an open manner and pledged to include these requests on my official Web site. Since arriving in the Senate, I have supported several important reforms to how Congress directs spending. I have voted for limitations on earmarks, including voting to ensure that American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds would be competitively bid. Clearly, there is more we can do to improve this process and I will continue to push for necessary reforms. However, I believe that congressional appropriations help provide much-needed resources for important programs and projects across my State.”