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U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman Introduces Legislation to Permanently Ban Federal Earmarks

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-5) introduced the Earmark Elimination Act of 2020 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Before 2011, earmarks were a frequent source of corruption and furthering of personal agendas by Members of Congress. In 2011, Congress passed a temporary ban on earmarks, which every session of Congress has since renewed. There is now, however, an effort by some in Congress to lift this ban.

Rep. Norman's bill would stop that effort in its tracks and make permanent the federal ban on earmarks. He issued the following statement on Wednesday:

"In 2011, Congress banned earmarks and has continued the trend in each new Congress. However, for some reason in 2020 - with a national debt exceeding $23 trillion - Congress wants to bring them back? This is a terrible way to govern. Kickbacks, backroom deals, the list goes on. We should not appropriate money to pet-projects to simply buy votes in halls of Congress or in the streets of our districts.”

Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) is an original co-sponsor of this legislation, which has received the support of FreedomWorks, Heritage Action, Club for Growth, National Taxpayers Union, and Citizens Against Government Waste.

Media inquiries for Rep. Norman can be directed to Austin Livingston at (803) 833-0030.