House GOP leaders to ask conference for immediate moratorium on earmarks

House GOP leaders will call for an immediate moratorium on earmarks at a Thursday conference meeting.

In a joint statement, Republican leaders said the earmark process had become a symbol of “a broken Washington” and that the time had come for House Republicans to adopt an immediate, unilateral ban on earmarks.

The move comes after the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday moved to no longer accept earmarks that go to for-profit companies.

Here’s the full GOP statement:

WASHINGTON, DC – The following joint statement was issued today by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Conference Vice-Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Conference Secretary John Carter (R-TX), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Rules Committee Ranking Republican David Dreier (R-CA), Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Republican Leadership Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR):             

“For millions of Americans, the earmark process in Congress has become a symbol of a broken Washington.  We believe the time has come for House Republicans to adopt an immediate, unilateral moratorium on all earmarks, including tax and tariff-related earmarks, and we will support changing the official rules of the House Republican Conference to incorporate such a moratorium when a special conference meeting on the matter takes place Thursday.  When Republicans take back the House, we will rein in out-of-control federal spending and bring fundamental change to the process by which Congress spends American taxpayers’ money.”