Fischer Joins Bipartisan Effort to Eliminate Earmarks

Press Release

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today helped introduce The Earmark Elimination Act of 2018. This legislation would permanently ban congressional earmarks.

"I share the belief of many Nebraskans that Washington must bring spending under control. A return of earmarks in the legislative process would be a step backwards in our work toward this effort. That's why I'm proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill to ensure Nebraskans' hard-earned money is used responsibly and wisely," said Senator Fischer.

An earmark is a congressionally-directed spending item, tax benefit, or tariff benefit targeted to a specific recipient or group of beneficiaries. Under current U.S. Senate rules, a point of order may only be raised against a bill if the measure contains earmarks that have not been publicly disclosed for at least 48 hours.

The Earmark Elimination Act would:

Create a point of order against the inclusion of all congressional earmarks.
Require a threshold that's higher than the typical 60-votes for an earmark to clear. If a senator makes a motion to waive the point of order, two-thirds of the Senate would need to agree for an earmark to move forward.

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