WASHINGTON — Senator Mike Braun today introduced an amendment to cut all of the earmarks out of the omnibus spending bill. The amendment will be voted on by the U.S. Senate shortly.
The omnibus spending package, which passed the House Wednesday and is expected to pass the Senate tonight, is $1.5 trillion of federal spending, including 367 pages’ worth of earmarks – or pet projects that House Representatives and Senators have added to the package.
These earmarks are worth more than $8 billion.
Senator Braun’s amendment would cut all of those “pork barrel†projects from the bill, and will be voted on at a threshold of 50 votes.
He will speak on the Senate floor in the 8pm hour.
SENATOR BRAUN ON HIS “CUT THE PORK†AMENDMENT:
This bill has 367 pages of earmarks, totaling over 8 billion dollars.
 As Dr. Tom Coburn said, earmarks are the gateway drug to overspending.
 I’m against earmarks because I believe they lead to waste and abuse.
 That’s why Congress got rid of them 10 years ago. They should not have been allowed back.
 My amendment would cut every earmark from this bill.
 If you believe the federal government should be bigger, shouldn’t you be worried that we’re going bankrupt as it is?
 If you want the government to support more Americans, shouldn’t you want to ensure the government is solvent in the long run?
 I urge my colleagues to join me and my cosponsors in removing the pork barrel pet projects from this bill.
