Washington, Sep 19 -

Dear Friends:

Last week, the House of Representatives passed earmark reform legislation that provides another tool to slice pork out of Federal spending bills. This reform bill ensures complete transparency – and therefore real accountability – in the Congressional budget process.

H Res 1000 requires that all special spending requests made by Members of Congress be spelled out in bills and reports, along with the names of the requesting Members. With this new requirement, earmarks will no longer be able to slip in to spending bills without the benefit of public scrutiny and Congressional debate. Not all earmarks are bad – there are many local projects worthy of Federal financial assistance. But, those projects that are worthy of Federal support will be able to stand up to the watchful eye of the American taxpayer.

Furthermore, H Res 1000 expands these reforms beyond just Federal spending bills, applying these accountability criteria to authorizing bills – that provide the Congressional imprimatur for spending – and to tax bills, which are also often loaded up with Members’ pet projects. When the House passed earmark reforms earlier this year – reforms still pending in the Senate – I pushed for expanding them beyond spending bills and I was pleased that this reform package did just that.

It is past time for Congress to open up our books to the American people so that everyone can be fully apprised of how their hard-earned dollars are spent by their government. Accountability should be automatic. But for far too long, it has not been and as a result special pet projects have been cluttering up Federal spending bills and ballooning our budgets.

I have been a consistent and strong supporter of earmark reform – as well as other budget reforms, like a Federal Sunset Commission and line-item veto authority – that will give budget-conscious Members of Congress like me a greater array of tools to pare down government spending and return the focus to the family budget instead of the Federal budget.

Sincerely,

Scott Garrett

Member of Congress

ISSUE OF THE WEEK: STANDING TALL FOR YOUR FAMILY BUDGET

Last week, in preparation for the House debate on earmark reform legislation, Congressman Garrett spoke at a press conference to push for passage of H Res 1000. Below are his prepared remarks from that event:

“First, I’d like to thank Americans for Prosperity for putting this press conference together. And, I’d like to thank the other groups here today and my colleagues, who truly are stalwarts in the fight to protect taxpayers’ wallets.

“On July 19, I circulated a letter, signed by many of my colleagues here today, to the House leadership, encouraging the implementation of earmark reforms the House had passed months earlier while the reform package was pending in the Senate. Accountability is not something that can be or should be postponed—it should be instinctive in our work as stewards of the taxpayer dollar. It should be reflexive, but, sadly, it is not.

“Happily for the American taxpayer—House leadership heeded the call to implement these reforms immediately. And, it has also put another earmark reform package on the House floor later this week. And, these additional reforms should expand earmark reform to all legislative work before the House – appropriations, authorizations, and tax bills.

“We must stop the process of loading up authorization bills with pork the way we load up appropriations bills. The infamous Bridge to Nowhere – $315 million for a bridge to an island with a population of 50 in rural Alaska – was not in an appropriations bill. It was an earmark in a bill authorizing Federal spending, giving the Congressional imprimatur to the project.

“We must police Federal tax laws better too. We load up our tax bills with special tax breaks, making the Internal Revenue Code incomprehensible to even the most skilled and practiced CPA. We cannot begin the process of simplifying the tax code until we end the practice of random tax earmarks.

“For far too long, earmarks have lived a quiet existence in back rooms and late nights, slipping into report language accompanying a bill without any public or even Congressional attention. Not all earmarks are bad – there are local projects that are worthy of Federal assistance. But, worthy projects will be able to stand up under public scrutiny and floor debate. And, as we work to curb spending and government waste, such accountability is crucial.

“Each year, the list of priorities for Federal funding seems to grow, as if the American taxpayers’ pockets were not only deep, but limitless. And, as we debate in Congress whether we can afford more money for legitimate national needs – like improved port security or tighter border security – how can we justify a $300,000 homeland security grant for air-conditioned garbage trucks? A request like that is worthy of late night talk TV, not Congressional debate. It simply demeans the institution.

“It is time that we put the focus back on the family budget, not the Federal budget. In fact, until we get a handle on all earmarks – in authorization bills, tax bills, and appropriations bills; for Members’ pet projects and through block grants by Federal bureaucrats – all our efforts to rein in spending, to reduce the deficit, and to fund true national priorities like protecting our nation from terrorist attacks – will be useless.

“Our economy is rebounding – job creation is up, GDP is up, unemployment is down, homeownership is at a record high. This is a result of good tax relief policies which have given families and small businesses the tools they need to grow our economy. Just imagine the prosperity if Congress applied the same commonsense principles to the way it spends.

“Ultimately, we must keep our eye on the family budget rather than the federal budget. And ultimately, we need to have our spending be in line with what our Founding Fathers intended and in accord with the Constitution and the parameters it sets.

“I thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today, and I look forward to continuing to work with all of you and my colleagues to implement real earmark reform.”

CONGRESSMAN SCOTT GARRETT’S OFFICE COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU:

Congressman Garrett’s staff will be holding Mobile Constituent Service Hours in a number of Fifth District towns this week. The Congressman’s Constituent Service Officers are trained to act as your liaisons with Federal agencies. But, it’s not always easy to make it out to one of the Congressman’s district offices – in Paramus and Newton – to meet with one of them, especially when you are dealing with government red tape. These Mobile Constituent Service Hours sessions bring the Congressman’s office to you. So, if you are having trouble with a Federal program, such as Medicare, veterans benefits, Social Security, or more, please feel free to come by. And, please bring copies of any relevant paperwork with you to facilitate their work.

Tuesday, September 19^th

Hillsdale

10:00 am to noon

Borough Hall, 380 Hillsdale Avenue

Tuesday, September 19^th

Westwood

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Borough Hall, 101 Washington Avenue

Wednesday, September 20^th

Ridgewood

10:00 am to noon

Borough Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue

Wednesday, September 20^th

Sandyston

10:00 am to noon

Town Hall, 133 Route 645

Wednesday, September 20^th

Allendale

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Borough Hall, 500 W. Crescent Avenue

Thursday, September 21^st

Bloomingdale

10:00 am to noon

Council Chambers, 101 Hamburg Pike

Thursday, September 21^st

Dumont

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Borough Hall, 50 Washington Avenue