Senator McCaskill's Record on Earmark Reform

Since arriving in Washington, McCaskill has consistently supported reforming the earmark process and bring much needed transparency to government spending. Over the past two years she has:

Asked in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget how the new earmark rules announced by President Obama last week will be implemented and whether there will be meaningful competition for earmarked funds (3/16/09):

As chair of the new Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, also sent a letter to the Department of Defense initiating an investigation into whether earmarks in recent years had been awarded competitively (3/16/09):

Offered a resolution to improve transparency in the earmarking process. (3/4/09)

• The legislation would clarify the rules and increase restrictions to ensure public tax dollars are spent more efficiently and effectively. In addition to transparency measures, her measure would also eliminate earmarks for private companies and non-profit organizations, which would significantly strengthen restrictions on earmarks.

Co-sponsored legislation that would allow Senators to challenge "airdropped" earmarks. (1/7/09)

• "Airdropped" earmarks are added to a bill during House-Senate negotiations, after it has already passed both chambers of Congress. The measure is cosponsored with Senators McCain, Feingold, and Coburn, and would also require increased transparency in the process.

Procedurally challenged airdropped earmarks in a last minute effort to keep wasteful earmark spending out of legislation that she supports, such as the Farm Bill. (5/15/08)

Helped pass the strictest ethics legislation in years that strengthened the rules on earmarking. (4/2/08)

• Following the passage of the bill, McCaskill sent a letter to her colleagues on the Appropriations Committee urging them to follow the spirit as well as the letter of the law regarding earmarks.

Co-sponsored an amendment to the budget for Fiscal Year 2009 that would require a one-year moratorium on congressional earmarks. (3/13/08)

Voted to strip all earmarks from the Omnibus appropriations bill. (3/10/09)

• The amendment, introduced by Senator McCain, did not pass. She also opposed final passage of the Omnibus bill, citing $7.7 billion dollars in earmark spending as one of the motivating factor in her decision-making process.

Not requested earmarks.

• She is one of only six Senators who has refrained from participating in the broken earmark process, instead choosing to work to reform it.