Jim Matheson: “I thank Mr. Ryan for his leadership on this issue. What we are dealing with today is a significant piece to a puzzle.…”

“I thank Mr. Ryan for his leadership on this issue. What we are dealing with today is a significant piece to a puzzle. Because it is a puzzle. There is no question that in terms of having greater accountability and having fiscal responsibility, there are a number of steps we need to take as a Congress. And the piece today is talking about opening to the light of day certain earmarks that ought to be open to the light of day. And I would echo the comments of Mr. Kingston. If I have an earmark, I ought to be willing to put it up for an up-or-down vote. Everybody in this Congress has requested earmarks, and everyone should be comfortable defending those earmarks. And this is all about shedding the light of day on that process. And it will result, even without having a rescission, it is going to result in Members of Congress being a little more careful and being a little more substantive in the proposals they make, and it is going to make this body more accountable. So with that in mind, I encourage my colleagues in a bipartisan way to embrace this work and to continue the work after this bill because, as I said, there are a number of steps we can take to encourage accountability and encourage greater fiscal responsibility. But this is an important piece and important step in pursuing that goal.”