Byron Dorgan: “I wish to point out, however, the issue of ``earmarks'' which they discuss and describe a lot is really…”

“I wish to point out, however, the issue of ``earmarks'' which they discuss and describe a lot is really legislative-directed funding, which is a very small percentage, in many cases, in bills. It is 1 or 2 or 3 percent of the funding. The rest of it goes downtown to some agency, and the folks in the agency make a decision where to spend their money. We have changed substantially the legislative-directed funding which exists. We are reducing almost in half legislative-directed funding. We have made it all transparent. The implication in the discussion I heard, and I have heard it many times, is there is no virtue and there is certainly no value in having any legislative-directed funding; let the agency downtown determine how every dollar is spent. The power of the purse in the Constitution rests with the United States Congress. We are responsible and accountable for how taxpayers' dollars are spent. Let me give one example which I think is important. We just finished in this country something called the Human Genome Project. A lot of people would not know what that means, perhaps, but it is an unbelievable success story. We unlocked the mystery of the genes. We now have for the first time in the history of the human race an owner's manual for the human body.”