Claire McCaskill’s Long History Of Fighting To End Earmarks

As one of the most fiscally-responsible State Auditors ever to serve the people of Missouri, Claire McCaskill earned a reputation as a tireless fiscal watchdog over Missouri state government.  Since 2007, McCaskill has been making good on her pledge to deliver that same fiscally-disciplined, sharp-pencil approach to the federal government as United States Senator from Missouri.

McCaskill Has Never Requested an Earmark. Sen. McCaskill has never requested a single earmark during her time serving in the U.S. Senate. [Citizens Against Government Waste]

Legislative Accomplishments

2011: McCaskill Exposed House Republicans’ Attempts to Circumvent Earmark Ban. In May 2011, Sen. McCaskill sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee expressing her strong opposition to House Republicans’ attempts to circumvent the two-year moratorium on earmarks.  “On its face, the new process you have implemented in your committee to facilitate earmarking and circumvent the earmark moratorium in the House strikes me as a subversion of the trust of the American people who took your word about ending earmarks,” McCaskill wrote in her letter. [McCaskill release, 5/26/11]

2010: McCaskill Introduced Legislation to Establish an Earmark Moratorium. In February 2010, Sen. McCaskill joined with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) to introduce S. 2990, a bill to establish an earmark moratorium for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.  The moratorium on earmarks currently in effect in the Senate was based on this piece of legislation. [Thomas.gov]

2010: McCaskill Cosponsored a Bill to Establish a Searchable Earmark Database. In May 2010, Sen. McCaskill signed on as a cosponsor to the Earmark Transparency Act (S. 3335), legislation that would require the Secretary of the Senate to establish a unified and searchable public database of all congressional earmarks. [Thomas.gov]

2009: McCaskill Introduced the Fiscal Discipline, Earmark Reform and Accountability Act. In January 2009, Sen. McCaskill joined with Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) to introduce the Fiscal Discipline, Earmark Reform, and Accountability Act (S.162), which would make it easier to remove earmarks from spending bills.  Specifically, the bill would make it out of order to consider in the Senate any appropriations bill or any amendment to an appropriations bill that contains an earmark.  It would also make it out of order to vote on the adoption of a conference report in the Senate unless it is available on a publicly accessible congressional website at least 48 hours before the vote. [Thomas.gov]

2009: McCaskill Introduced Legislation to Help the Public Track the Earmark Process. In March 2009, Sen. McCaskill introduced S. Res. 63, legislation that would help the public track the earmark process by increasing transparency and closing several loopholes in Senate ethics rules.  Specifically, the bill would require all congressionally directed spending items in appropriations and authorization legislation to be included in the bill text, change the Senate rules to require that all earmark requests be posted online within 48 hours of when they are submitted, and allow a point of order to be raised against any bill that contains earmarks to private organizations and nonprofit entities. [Thomas.gov]

2008: McCaskill Cosponsored Amendment to Establish an Earmark Moratorium. In March 2008, Sen. McCaskill joined with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) to introduce an amendment to the FY 2009 Budget Resolution (S. Con. Res. 70) that would establish an earmark moratorium for fiscal year 2009. [Thomas.gov]

2007: McCaskill Supported Landmark Ethics Reform Legislation That Increased Earmark Transparency. In August 2007, McCaskill voted for final passage of S.1, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007.  The bill, which became law in September 2007, overhauled congressional lobbying and ethics rules for members and their staffs.  It also barred the Senate from voting on a motion to proceed to a bill unless information about each earmark in the bill is posted online in a searchable format for at least 48 hours before the vote. [Vote 294, 8/2/07]

• McCaskill Voted for Amendment to Increase Earmark Transparency. In January 2007, McCaskill voted in favor of an amendment that would require the disclosure of earmark sponsors 48 hours prior to the consideration of a bill, mandate the disclosure of earmark recipients and expand the definition of earmarks to include federal and non-federal projects. [Vote 11, 1/16/07]

Praise for McCaskill’s Work on Earmarks

McCaskill Won the “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” Award from Taxpayers for Common Sense. For almost five years McCaskill has led efforts in the Senate to end earmarks, earning her the “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” Award from the Taxpayers for Common Sense in 2010. [Taxpayers for Common Sense]

Sen. John McCain Praised McCaskill’s Work to End Earmarks. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has praised Sen. McCaskill’s work to end earmarks several times on the floor of the Senate.  In March 2008, McCain took the floor to praise McCaskill’s support for an earmark moratorium, and in January 2009 he took to the floor again to praise McCaskill’s support for a bill to increase transparency in the earmark process.  “I also express my appreciation to Senator McCaskill,” McCain said in November 2010, praising to work to end earmarks. [Congressional Record]

Sen. Jim DeMint Praised McCaskill’s Work to End Earmarks. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has praised Sen. McCaskill’s work to end earmarks several times on the floor of the Senate.  Speaking on the floor in March 2009, DeMint said, “I commend Senator McCaskill for taking on both parties, senior Members in both parties, on this earmark issue.”  DeMint went on to describe McCaskill as “a real champion of fighting one of the real causes of excess spending and waste in Washington.”  Speaking on the floor in March 2008, DeMint said, “I thank Senator McCaskill for her courage in standing up,” referring to her support for an earmark moratorium. [Congressional Record]

St. Joseph News-Press Editorial Praised McCaskill’s Stand Against Earmarks. In December 2007, the St. Joseph News-Press editorial board praised Sen. McCaskill’s work to eliminate wasteful spending in Washington and willingness to stand up to her own party on the issue of earmarks.  “Most lawmakers, for that matter, like earmarks. This Christmas tree legislation passed on a vote of 78 to 17. Ms. McCaskill, a freshman Democrat, stood up to her own party leadership to vote against the bill,” wrote the board.  “We suspect that Ms. McCaskill has the chutzpah to keep the pressure on Congress.” [St. Joseph News-Press, 12/28/07]

Kansas City Star Editorial: McCaskill Has Taken One of the Strongest Stances Against Earmarks. In January 2011, the Kansas City Star editorial board praised McCaskill for her work to ban earmarks, writing that she “has taken one of the strongest stances in Congress against earmarks.” [Kansas City Star, 1/22/11]

Springfield News-Leader: McCaskill Is a Vocal Opponent of Earmarks. In December 2011, the Springfield News Leader described McCaskill as “a vocal opponent of members directing spending for pet projects in their districts.” [Springfield News-Leader, 12/10/11]

Kansas City Star: McCaskill a Leading Critic of Earmarking. In December 2011, the Kansas City Star described McCaskill as “a leading congressional critic of the practice” of earmarking. [Kansas City Star, 12/11/11]

Columbia Tribune: McCaskill Has Not Asked for an Earmark Since Joining the Senate. In December 2011, the Columbia Tribune reported that McCaskill “has not asked for an earmark since joining the Senate in 2007.” [Columbia Tribune, 12/14/11]

Kansas City Star Editorial: McCaskill Has Built a Reputation on Rooting Out Waste and Corruption in Government Spending. In March 2011, the Kansas City Star editorial board wrote that, “McCaskill has built a reputation on rooting out waste and corruption in government spending.” [Kansas City Star, 3/16/11]