Jack Kingston

Click below to check out Jack on Hannity and Colmes:

Late last night, Jack issued the following statement after the House Republican Conference adopted his bill as its standard for reforming the earmark process.

“We lost the majority because spending got out of hand.  Today’s action shows that we are ready to impose new discipline on the budget process.  We need the Democrats to join us in the effort and earn some integrity back in Washington.”

 To Read the full release, click here.

For a copy of the letter sent by the Republican Conference to Speaker Pelosi, click here.

For a ‘one pager’ with a summary of Jack’s earmark reform proposal, click here.

The proposal has already garnered a lot of support and is creating a lot of energy.  Here are what folks are saying about the Kingston-Wolf-Wamp proposal:

CNN: “GOP challenges House Dems to join earmark reform effort. House Republicans challenged Democrats in a letter sent Friday night to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to join a bi-partisan effort to change the way members of congress ‘earmark’ taxpayer money for special projects that benefit their districts or campaign contributors. The GOP’s House caucus approved the initiative — which calls for an immediate moratorium on earmarks while reforms are considered — during their annual retreat at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. They called Democrats to consider earmark reforms when they hold their own annual retreat next week and for Pelosi to respond to their proposal by the first of February. The Republicans also vowed to immediately and unilaterally adopt rules for its own members that bar them from certain earmarking practices, including ‘airdropping’ spending items into budget bills at the last minute.” (1/26/08)

The Weekly Standard’s “Worldwide Standard” Blog: “House Republicans Call for Earmark Moratorium. … This move is bound to cheer fiscal conservatives, and it will help improve the image of Republicans as the party of fiscal responsibility. This move evinces a strong interest among Congressional Republicans in changing their image, and being taken seriously as agents of reform.” (1/25/08)

Red State Blog: “House Republicans Know How to Play The Game. … The House GOP is indeed challenging the Democrats to put their money where their collective mouth is. … Well done, Congressmen!” (1/25/08)

The New York Times: “House Republicans Urge Earmark Moratorium. House Republicans called on Friday for ‘an immediate moratorium’ on earmarking money for pet projects. They urged Democrats to join them in establishing a bipartisan panel to set strict new standards for such spending. As an interim step, House Republican leaders said, they will insist that all House Republicans follow standards to eliminate ‘wasteful pork-barrel spending.’” (1/26/08)

Associated Press: “House GOP Proposes Earmarks Moratorium. House Republicans say they are willing to stop funding … pet projects for their home districts if Democrats are willing to go along. … The proposed moratorium would give time for reforms to be devised to supplement recent rules requiring lawmakers who obtain earmarks and the entities receiving the money to be identified. ‘House Republicans believe that the earmark system should be brought to an immediate halt, and a bipartisan select committee should immediately be established for the purpose of identifying ways to bring fundamental change to the way in which Washington spends taxpayers’ money,’ House GOP leaders said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. … If Democrats don’t accept the moratorium offer, GOP leaders will still impose a new set of modest reforms on fellow Republicans seeking earmarks.” (1/25/08)

The Politico: “House Republicans Call For Moratorium On Earmarks. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders, are calling for a moratorium on ‘earmarks’ inserted into annual spending bills, and they want both parties to create a bipartisan select committee to study the issue.” (1/26/08)

Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner: “House GOP leaders challenge Pelosi to declare one-year earmark moratorium. …House Minority Leader John Boehner is leading the GOP caucus with some concrete actions that challenge politicians on both sides of the aisle to put up or shut up on earmarks.” (1/25/08)

Americans for Prosperity Blog: “House GOP to Pelosi: Put Up or Shut Up on Stronger Earmark Reform. House Republicans who are huddling at their retreat in West Virginia this evening sent the letter below to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenging House Democrats to agree to an immediate moratorium on all pork-barrel earmarks while a bipartisan committee can recommend further reforms of the broken system.  In the meantime, House Republicans lay out a few reforms they are going to impose on themselves. This is obviously a significant step in a right direction … yet another sign that House Republicans are starting to truly understand they need to change the way they’ve been spending taxpayer money the last several years.” (1/25/08)

The Republican Conference tonight adopted a proposal originally drafted by Jack along with Reps. Wolf and Wamp to establish a Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform.  The bill, H Con Res 263, would establish a committee comprised of 16 members equally appointed by the majority and minority parties in both houses of Congress to study earmarks in all their forms - appropriations, authorizing, tax and tariff, as well as those contained in the administration’s budget request.  To read the release that accompanied the bill’s introduction, click here.

Stay tuned for more updates.