Inhofe Takes on Congress’ Earmark Moratorium
Earmark Ban Hasn’t Fixed Washington’s Debt Crisis
By Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Investor’s Business Daily, May 15, 2014
In March 2010, Congress banned the practice of earmarks. Since then, the national debt under President Obama has increased by $4 trillion dollars. Clearly the earmark ban has not been a fruitful solution to fix our debt crisis.
Instead, Congress has ceded spending power to the president and given away its constitutional duty to responsibly prioritize the nation’s fiscal needs.
As one of the most conservative members in Congress, I agree that Washington must stop wasting taxpayer dollars. But our spending addiction isn’t limited to the House and Senate.
In Sean Hannity’s list of 102 wasteful taxpayer projects, each one was an earmark made by the White House — such as the $3.4 million sent to Florida to build an “Eco-Passage” to allow turtles to cross under the roadway.
Let us not forget the $325,000 to study the mating decisions of female cactus bugs.