Baucus defends earmark process

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Tuesday defended the use of earmarks, arguing there are other ways to reduce the deficit. 

Baucus wrote a letter to Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), who had written the senator on Nov. 18 asking for his support of the proposed earmark ban engineered by House and Senate Republicans. 

"The Montanans I talk to want us to support real solutions like infrastructure projects and tax cuts that will bring good-paying jobs to Montana," Baucus wrote. "Not political stunts from party bosses in Washington."

Baucus went on to say that the best way to reduce the deficit is "to help businesses create jobs and let working families keep more of their hard-earned money."

"I urge you to join me in this effort to avoid the distractions of political stunts and find real solutions to bring good-paying jobs to Montana and get our economy moving again."

He also pointed out that the earmark reform put in place by Democrats in 2007 had reduced the practice from 2005 and 2006 levels by making all requests for funding public, attaching the lawmaker's name, the purpose of the earmark and a certification that the lawmaker will not benefit from the funds. 

Federal funding made up 43.5 percent of Montana's general fund this year, fourth in the nation for most federal funding among states as a percentage of its total state budget, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers 2009. 

"Our ability to bring money home for these projects is particularly important to a rural state like Montana, and giving up our ability to do so with the earmark moratorium will hand over even more power to President Obama and larger states like California and New York," he said.  

"As representatives of Montana, we know the true value of projects like this to the people of our state. It’s our job to fight for them."