Wyden, Merkley Announce Earmark Policy

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced they will post requests they receive for federal spending earmarks to allow Oregonians a chance to comment on them.

“We are now experiencing a very difficult economic stretch where tax dollars are extremely scarce at the very time that they are desperately needed to stimulate and stabilize the economy,” Wyden announced this week. “We believe that a truly transparent, inclusive appropriations process will help restore the public’s confidence in the role of Congress in rebuilding our economy and preserving our communities.”

Under the new process, organizations seeking federal funding through either senator will be asked to fill out a standardized form, which is then posted on a Web site.

Wyden and Merkley said they are accepting earmark requests through February 23.

Congressional earmarks have become a political hot potato, rising to the level of a major issue in the last presidential election, where GOP hopeful John McCain made it a central theme to demonstrate his maverick credentials.

President Barack Obama said he didn't want any spending earmarks attached to the major federal stimulus package now moving through Congress.

Defenders of earmarks say they are necessary tools to direct spending to specific local projects that otherwise would get lost in behemoth – and often bewildering – federal appropriation bills. A middle ground reform for a number of congressmen has been a commitment to post their earmark requests on their Web sites. The Wyden-Merkley plan goes a step further and invites constituent feedback on earmark requests.