WASHINGTON - A new Congress hasn't diminished Claire McCaskill's goal of banning Congressional earmarks-as she today reintroduced the bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act in order to end a process that, for years, permitted members of Congress to direct taxpayer funds to their home regions for pet projects. Thanks to her efforts, the previous Congress instituted a voluntary moratorium on earmarks.

The bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act-which McCaskill reintroduced with Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania-would expand the temporary moratorium and permanently ban earmarks from the legislative process.

"In my fight against pork-barrel spending on pet projects by Congress, we've made a lot of progress," McCaskill said. "We're changing the culture of Congress to one where members are judged based on how much taxpayer money they save, not how much they spend. Now, while we're focused on cutting wasteful spending, is the time to make our temporary ban on earmarks a permanent ban on earmarks and guard against the return of this practice."

The Earmark Elimination Act would:

• Permanently ban all earmarks.
• Define earmarks as any congressionally directed spending item, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit.
• Create a point of order against any legislation containing an earmark. The point of order would only apply to the actual earmark, rather than to the entire bill.
• Require a two-thirds vote to waive the point of order.

McCaskill's bill is supported by Citizens Against Government Waste, the Club for Growth, Heritage Action, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, FreedomWorks, and Ending Spending, Inc.

Click HERE to read more about McCaskill's fight to ban earmarks.

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