FreedomWorks Opposes House Republican Effort to Resurrect ‘Currency of Corruption’

WASHINGTON, D.C.– In response to the expected vote in the House Republican Conference to reverse its long-standing ban on earmarks, Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented:

“Republicans must not reverse their ban on earmarks, no matter what Democrats have chosen to do on the issue. There’s a reason why earmarks were once referred to as the ‘currency of corruption’ in the halls of Congress before being temporarily banned in 2011. As we’ve seen in the past, they pave the way for extraordinarily wasteful spending and unnecessary, absurd government projects. For the sake of our nation’s fiscal health and tackling our government’s ‘spending addiction,’ earmarks should be avoided at all costs.

“The government should work for the people, not for special interests. Faith in Congress is extremely low–bringing back earmarks is not the way to build back that trust. Plus, with COVID-19 ‘relief’ spending having caused our deficit to balloon to record highs, the last thing we need right now is the reinstatement of a practice that encourages more reckless spending. Lawmakers must fight to ban, not resurrect, the practice.”