Rep Andrews One of Three Local Lawmakers Who Disclosed Earmark Requests
 

I believe that taxpayers have the right to know where Congress is planning to spend their money, and therefore I believe it is important for members of Congress to fully disclose their requests for earmarks.  Earmarks are very helpful to my district,  because they help to solve many regional problems related to transportation, public health and safety.  But these requests must be fully disclosed so that they can be subjected to an open debate process.

Below I have attached a recent editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer that highlights my effort to be as transparent as possible in order to stay honest with my constituents.
 

Phila. Inq Editorial
Editorial | Earmarks
Knowing where your money goes
Taxpayers have a right to know how Congress is planning to spend their money. Yet most lawmakers, including many from our region, don't grasp this concept.
A case in point is the ongoing debate in Congress over how to handle "earmarks." It's the term for taxpayer-funded projects in a lawmaker's district, spending that often curries favor with a legislator's supporters.
The number of earmarks has tripled in the past 12 years, reaching $64 billion annually. Last year, before Republicans lost control of Congress, they tried belatedly to curb the pork-barrel spending that they had allowed to grow exponentially. They required lawmakers to identify themselves as sponsors of earmarks, hoping such disclosure would act as a deterrent.
The Democratic majority this year pledged to make the sneaky appropriations process even more open by identifying such spending requests far in advance of votes. But so far their effort has lacked teeth. Of the approximately 32,000 requests for earmarks, very few have been made public.......

In the absence of self-imposed sunlight, watchdog groups and the media have been asking lawmakers individually to disclose their earmark requests. The taxpayer group Citizens Against Government Waste ( <http://www.cagw.org/> www.cagw.org) is keeping a list online of all 535 members of Congress, noting whether they have agreed to make public their spending proposals.........

Earmarks "help my district," said Andrews, whose spending requests total more than $120 million, including $15 million for a levee replacement project in Camden and Gloucester Counties. "By disclosing what we've asked for, subjecting them to the debate process, it's healthy for our democracy."

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