Romney Campaign Press Release - Mitt Romney: Congress Must Permanently Ban Earmarks

"With our national debt skyrocketing past $15 trillion, it is a moral imperative to rein in government spending. Passing a permanent ban on earmarks is an important step toward securing our future and restoring fiscal sanity in Washington." — Mitt Romney

Congress Has An Opportunity To Ban Earmarks Once And For All:

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) Is Spearheading A Bipartisan Effort To Permanently End Earmarks. "Sens. Toomey and McCaskill's Earmark Elimination Act is supported by Citizens Against Government Waste, the Club for Growth, Heritage Action, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, FreedomWorks, and Ending Spending, Inc. The amendment would replace the temporary moratorium on earmarks with a legislative ban on earmarks." (Sen. Pat Toomey, Press Release, 2/7/12)

• Sen. Toomey: "We Will Not Stop Until We Eliminate This Wasteful Earmarking From The Halls Of Congress." "The earmarking system wastes taxpayer dollars, creates the appearance of corruption and undermines public confidence in the legislative process. Although our amendment failed last week, nothing in Washington gets done without sustained effort, and we will not stop until we eliminate this wasteful earmarking from the halls of Congress." (Sen. Pat Toomey, Press Release, 2/7/12)

Gov. Mitt Romney Supports A Permanent Ban On Earmarks, Which "Symbolize What's Wrong With Washington." ROMNEY: "We all need to recognize that Washington can't responsibly begin to address out-of-control debt and deficits until the practice of cramming earmarks into spending bills is stopped. While earmarks are not the only cause of our budget problems, they have come to symbolize what's wrong with Washington." (CNN, 11/15/10)

Both Rick Santorum And Newt Gingrich Were Prolific Earmarkers:

Rick Santorum: "I'm Very Proud Of All The Earmarks I Put In Bills. I'll Defend Earmarks." SANTORUM: "I'm not saying necessarily earmarks are bad. I have had a lot of earmarks. In fact, I'm very proud of all the earmarks I put in bills. I'll defend earmarks." (Fox News' "Hannity," 2/26/09)

• Club For Growth: "Santorum Was A Prolific Supporter Of Earmarks, Having Requested Billions Of Dollars For Pork Projects In Pennsylvania While He Was In Congress." ("2012 Presidential White Paper #4: Former Senator Rick Santorum," Club For Growth, 6/6/11)

"The Use Of Earmarks Took Off Under Gingrich And Continued To Escalate Over The Next Decade." "The use of earmarks took off under Gingrich and continued to escalate over the next decade, peaking at $31 billion for 11,320 projects in 2010, according to congressional data." (Kimberly Kindy and Dan Eggen, "Expansion Of Earmarks While Gingrich Was Speaker Could Alienate Tea Party Voters," The Washington Post, 6/8/11)

• "'Speaker Gingrich Set In Motion The Largest Explosion Of Earmarks In The History Of Congress,' Said Tom Schatz Of Citizens Against Government Waste." (Jonathan Karl and Gregory Simmons, "Newt Gingrich: Big Spender," ABC News, 12/15/11)

And Remember — Harry Reid's Just Wild About Earmarks, Too: "I'm Happy I've Done Earmarks All My Career." "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave a forceful defense of congressional earmarks on Tuesday, a sign that bipartisan legislation to permanently ban pork-barrel spending will have a tough road in the Senate. 'I've done earmarks all my career, and I'm happy I've done earmarks all my career. They've helped my state, and they've helped different projects around the country,' an unapologetic Reid told reporters after the Democrats' weekly caucus lunch." (Scott Wong, "Harry Reid: 'I'm Happy' With Earmarks," Politico, 1/31/12)