Nelson's resolution shifts earmark savings to deficit reduction

Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.) has introduced a sense of the Senate resolution that would use funds saved from an earmark moratorium to reduce the national debt. 

“We should earmark the earmarks for spending cuts and debt reduction, and make sure the money isn’t just spent with little transparency by Washington bureaucrats," said Nelson, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "This is one among a number of steps I will seek, and Congress should take, toward reducing the national debt." 

Earlier this week, Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) said his committee would adhere to an earmark ban for fiscal years 2011 and 2012.  

House and Senate Republicans have agreed among themselves to forgo earmarks for at least this year although many Republicans say they want a permanent moratorium on the congressional practice that amounts to about 1 percent of federal spending each year.  

"The national debt is now above $14 trillion and Congress should do all it can to address the debt before it unfolds into the kinds of crises we’ve seen overseas," he said. If we’re going to ban congressional earmarks, we should make sure the ban helps reduce the debt."