Statement by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX 10) in response to the Appropriations Committee's ban on for-profit earmarks:

“If Chairman Obey and the Democrats were truly interested in stopping wasteful spending they would join me in overhauling the earmark system. Two years ago I took a stand against this broken and corrupt process by refusing to participate until it is reformed. Americans deserve a real commitment to stop spending their hard-earned money on wasteful special interest pork projects. I will continue to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in not requesting earmarks until the system is 100% transparent as to the sponsor and recipient and until each earmark is subject to an up or down vote on the House floor.”

Congressman McCaul, a former federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Unit, stopped requesting earmarks at the beginning of 2008. He has also led the “No Monuments to Me” effort, which has successfully banned the funding of various projects named after sitting members of Congress.

Please see Rep. McCaul’s op-ed against earmarks published in the Houston Chronicle, attached.