Sen. Inouye won't accept earmarks in appropriations for two years

Wednesday, February 2, 2011  

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has agreed to enforce a two-year ban on earmarks.

Inouye has long been a defender of earmarks. But he said the "handwriting is clearly on the wall" on the hot button issue.

"The President has stated unequivocally that he will veto any legislation containing earmarks, and the House will not pass any bills that contain them. Given the reality before us, it makes no sense to accept earmark requests that have no chance of being enacted into law," Inouye said in a press release.

Some Indian programs are covered by earmarks or by what appear to be special set asides. Tribes and Indian organizations have been working over the past few years to identify the provisions and come up with alternatives to protect the money.

Get the Story:
Appropriations Chairman Inouye says he will enforce earmark ban in Senate (The Washington Post 2/2)
Senate Won’t Allow Earmarks in Spending Bills (The New York Times 2/1)