In a surprise announcement on the Senate floor this afternoon,\u00a0Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he\u00a0will be supporting a moratorium on earmarks in the 112th Congress.\u00a0 McConnell, who for the last couple of weeks has defended\u00a0the practice of earmarks,\u00a0stated:<\/p>\n
…I have thought about these things long and hard over the past few weeks. I\u2019ve talked with my members. I\u2019ve listened to them. Above all, I have listened to my constituents.\u00a0 And what I\u2019ve concluded is that on the issue of congressional earmarks, as the leader of my party in the Senate, I have to lead first by example. Nearly every day that the Senate\u2019s been in session for the past two years, I have come down to this spot and said that Democrats are ignoring the wishes of the American people. When it comes to earmarks, I won\u2019t be guilty of the same thing.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake. I know the good that has come from the projects I have helped support throughout my state. I don\u2019t apologize for them. But there is simply no doubt that the abuse of this practice has caused Americans to view it as a symbol of the waste and the out-of-control spending that every Republican in Washington is determined to fight. And unless people like me show the American people that we\u2019re willing to follow through on small or even symbolic things, we risk losing them on our broader efforts to cut spending and rein in government.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why today I am announcing that I will join the Republican Leadership in the House in support of a moratorium on earmarks in the 112th Congress. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n