Joni Ernst: Earmarks a ‘Belated Valentine’ for D.C. Swamp

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said in a statement Monday the return of earmarks is a “belated Valentine” for Washington, DC, special interests and lobbyists.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriation Committees, will announce in the coming weeks Democrats will reinstate earmarks, also known as “member-directed spending” in next fiscal year’s spending bills.

The Iowa conservative said:

During my short time in the Senate, Congress has never needed to revert back to individual earmarks, so why now? This is nothing short of a belated Valentine to Washington special interests and lobbyists who have been chomping at the bit for this pork-making process to return. Washington prioritizing politicians over struggling Americans is just the swamp returning to its normal habitat. It’s a disgrace. There’s simply no reason to go back to the old, wasteful and detrimental ways of earmarks. We need to permanently ban this bad practice—even if it makes some folks squeal.

Ernst wrote in an op-ed in January that earmarks often lead to graft and reckless spending, which includes the infamous Alaska “Bridge to Nowhere.”

She explained:

Pork was taken off the menu (temporarily, I guess) a decade ago after years of politicians literally pigging out on taxpayer dollars, earmarking millions for special interests and their own pet projects, like that infamous bridge to nowhere in Alaska. Some even went to jail for exchanging bribes over congressional pork. But now Congress wants to bring the bacon back to the legislative process.

According to the Gazette, in January, Ernst told reporters earmarks are a”‘ham-fisted tactic’ that devoted taxpayer money to ‘special interests and (lawmakers’) own pet projects.'”

She added that earmarks are “particularly bad and wasteful in defense legislation.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.