39 Senators Vote to Quash Earmarks

Today on Capital Hill, thirty-nine senators voted in support of a three-year moratorium on appropriations earmarks, the strongest vote against pork barrel legislation to date. In fact, the 56-39 vote on the moratorium contrasts with one last March which was defeated 68-29. Seven Democrats (Evan Bayh of Indiana; Michael Bennet of Colorado; Russ Feingold of Wisconsin; Claire McCaskill of Missouri; Bill Nelson of Florida, Colorado’s Udall, and Mark Warner of Virginia) joined the majority Republican vote and eight Republicans (Robert Bennett of Utah; Thad Cochran of Mississippi; Susan Collins of Maine; James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Richard Lugar of Indiana; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Shelby of Alabama, and George Voinovich of Ohio) defected.

If the parties cannot agree on a budget for 2011 without earmarks, House Speaker Boehner may have to fight the fight next year, when the GOP will be in power and able to rewrite the 2011 budget with deeper spending cuts. Incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that his party would not consider bills containing earmarks for a vote when they take the reigns. “That is the intention, that we’re really serious about changing the culture in Washington,” Cantor said. “Earmarks have become symptomatic of a culture gone bad.”

This is a step in the right direction. The list of Republican defectors should figure prominently in the next wave of senatorial elections. There is no justifying duck ponds and private airports with our current deficit.