Senators urge return of funds for orphaned earmarks

Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced a measure on Thursday that will rescind funds for so-called orphaned earmarks for an estimated savings of $500 million. 

The bill would require the return of unused funds of earmarks that have used 10 percent or less of appropriated funds after nine years, with the possibility of holding funds one more year for earmarks the agency head says will be funded within the following 12 months. 

“As Congress shifts its focus from earmarking to deficit reduction, rescinding funds for orphaned earmarks is an obvious step toward fiscal sanity," Coburn said in a statement.

"I urge my colleagues to pass this measure as soon as possible,” he said, noting that the Senate passed similar language last year by a margin of 87-11.

The Coburn-Begich bill is modeled after a 2008 Bush administration proposal that would have rescinded any highway and bridge earmark funds from the 1998 highway bill that had less than 10 percent of funds spent or obligated. That proposal only would have saved $626 million, including $389 million in 152 earmarks that had no funding obligated a decade after passage, according to the statement. 

The Coburn-Begich bill targets all appropriated funds that fit the measure's definition. 

“As we focus on reducing spending, we can take easy steps like rescinding the money for unspent earmarks," Begich said. "If an earmark hasn’t been claimed in nearly a decade, it’s unlikely it ever will be. By essentially passing a ‘Use it or lose it’ strategy, we can save roughly $500 million. That’s not chump change.”