Moran Votes to Ban Earmarks and Cut Government Spending

Press Release

Congressman Jerry Moran today joined members of the U.S. Senate Republican Conference as Senator-Elect to enact a two-year earmark moratorium for the 112th Congress. The Republican Conference approved the earmark moratorium, and then approved a resolution challenging Senate Democrats to also enact a two-year earmark moratorium. The Conference-approved moratorium is identical to that approved by House Republicans.

Members of the Senate Republican Conference also adopted resolutions to reduce federal debt and government spending, including the following:

Resolution placing a moratorium on creating new unfunded mandates and new entitlement programs.

The first resolution states the Conference's opposition to imposing new unfunded federal mandates -- like the Democrats' health care law -- on state and local governments, and the second states the Conference's opposition to creating new entitlement programs -- which currently make up 56 percent of the total budget.

Resolution stating that a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution is necessary to restore fiscal discipline.

The resolution states that a balanced budget amendment should require the President to submit to Congress prior to each fiscal year a proposed budget in which total federal spending does not exceed total federal revenue; that a balanced budget amendment should include a requirement that a supermajority of both houses of Congress be necessary to increase taxes; that a balanced budget amendment should include a limitation on total federal spending.

Resolution stating that unspent stimulus funds should be canceled.

The resolution would cancel the more than $12 billion of unspent stimulus funds and avoid saddling taxpayers with more debt.

Resolution stating that there should be a net federal hiring freeze on non-security employees.

Between 2008 and 2010, federal government civilian employment grew 20 percent, from 1.2 million civilian workers to 1.43 million. Shrinking the size of government through attrition is both fair and smart.

Resolution stating that non-security discretionary spending should be reduced to inflation-adjusted FY 2008 levels.

The resolution would save approximately $450 billion over ten years, and such a reduction should be enforced through discretionary spending caps.

The Republican Conference also agreed to develop proposals to use funds unspent by Members of Congress to reduce the federal debt and to reduce legislative branch appropriations.

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