1.10.7: Earmarks
Eliminate all congressional earmarks. Other Information:
In FY 2010, Congress approved more than 9,000 earmarks costing taxpayers close to $16 billion. Earmarks are not competitively
bid and are not subject to accountability metrics, making it difficult to measure effectiveness or conduct cost-benefit analysis.
Many of these earmarks are doled out by members of Congress for parochial concerns in their districts and to special interest
groups. Examples of parochial earmark spending include $1.9 million for a Pleasure Beach Water Taxi Service in Connecticut,
$900,000 for a program encouraging Oklahoma students to role-play how to make tough choices as members of Congress, and $238,000
for ancient-style sailing canoes in Hawaii, among countless others. The Commission recommends the elimination of all congressional
appropriations and authorizing earmarks as well as limited tax and tariff benefits. This proposal will save at least $16 billion
in 2015.
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