CCAGW Earmark Reform Pledge Gathering Steam

Business Wire, March 21, 2008

WASHINGTON -- In November, 2007, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) unveiled its Earmark Reform Pledge at a press conference attended by members of Congress and representatives of other taxpayer watchdog groups. The pledge features ten principles designed to bring increased transparency and accountability to the spending process. The pledge, which can be found at www.ccagw.org, has begun to attract an increasing number of candidates for Congress. Currently, 12 congressional candidates have signed the pledge:

Sydney Hay (R-1st District, Arizona)
David Schweikert (R-5th District, Arizona)

Duncan D. Hunter (R-52nd District, California)

Hal Valeche (R-16th District, Florida)

Lynn Jenkins (R-2nd District, Kansas)
Jim Ryun (R-2nd District, Kansas)

Martin Marks (R-7th District, New Jersey)
Christopher Venis (R-7th District, New Jersey)
Kate Whitman (R-7th District, New Jersey)

Chris Hackett (R-10th District, Pennsylvania)
Matt Shaner (R-5th District, Pennsylvania)

Amit Singh (R-8th District, Virginia)

CCAGW's Pledge asks that legislators fully disclose all earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit requests (or substitute letters to agencies) on their Congressional website; not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision that does not serve a federal interest and/or have a federal nexus; not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision that would be directed toward a specific private entity that was not requested by an agency; not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision for an entity located outside of the state they represent; and not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision without also requesting that the provision be included within the text of the bill.

Although CCAGW supported the enactment of a full moratorium on all congressional earmarking, the pledge provides significant reform in lieu of a ban on the practice.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.