Club for Growth Says “No” to Republican Effort to Restore Earmarks

“Voters believed that Republicans would ‘drain the swamp,’ not redirect it for their own benefit.”

Washington, DC – Club for Growth president David McIntosh released the following statement in response to reports that a group of House Republicans wants a secret vote to end the ban on congressional earmarks:

“This is a test of whether Republicans are listening to the American people,” said Club for Growth president David McIntosh. “It’s been barely a week since voters sent a resounding rejection of Washington insider politics, and yet House Republicans are already on the verge of proving they’re tone deaf. Earmarks represent the worst of inside-the-beltway gamesmanship, by enticing Members to vote for big-government bills with the lure of getting tax dollars for big projects back in their districts. House Republicans banned earmarks in 2011, but some have been trying to get back their spending power ever since. Voters believed that Republicans would ‘drain the swamp,’ not redirect it for their own benefit. Any effort to restore this kind of cronyism should be flatly rejected.”

The Club for Growth is the nation’s leading group promoting economic freedom through legislative involvement, issue advocacy, research, and education.