Key Vote YES on Accountability for Earmarks

FreedomWorks sent this letter to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dear Representative:

On behalf of more than 800,000 FreedomWorks members nationwide, I write to urge you to VOTE YES on to House rule changes to reform the earmarking process.

As you know, a vote is expected later today on the House of Representatives earmark reform package. The rules will require the committee of jurisdiction list all earmarks in any bill and committee report for legislation coming to the House floor. Most importantly, this disclosure must include the names of Members requesting the earmark. These rules will apply to all committees, and will apply not just to appropriations bills but also to tax and authorizing legislation.

These important reforms will bring greater accountability and transparency to the budget process.

As House Majority Leader John Boehner says, “It’s common sense: if you request a project, you ought to be willing to put your name on it and defend it. And if you aren’t willing to put your name on a project, you shouldn’t expect the American people to pay for it.”

Much more needs to be done to fix the broken Congressional budget process and rein in runaway federal spending, but full disclosure is a good first step. FreedomWorks urges your support for the earmarking reform measure. We will count your vote as a KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Scorecard for 2006. The FreedomWorks Economic Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the Jefferson Award, which recognizes members of Congress with voting records that support economic freedom.

Sincerely,

Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks