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In about-face, Sen. Mitch McConnell backs ban on earmark spending

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Tribune Washington Bureau

In a surprise shift, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday he would support a proposal put forward by conservative Republicans to ban so-called earmark spending in the new Congress.

Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican who backed a number of “tea party” candidates in this year’s elections, had been circulating a petition from more than a dozen senators and senators-elect to ban what they viewed as “wasteful, pork-barrel spending.” Rand Paul, elected in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, was among them.

But until Monday, McConnell had been aligned with others who viewed the appropriations as part of their constitutional obligation to determine how federal money was spent. He had himself said a ban “doesn’t save any money.”

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Monday, however, he joined his colleagues in supporting the idea, saying voters spoke clearly in the election.

“Americans want change, not mere criticism,” he said on the Senate floor, as the chamber returned to session Monday. “That means that all of us in Washington need to get serious about changing the way we do business, even on things we have defended in the past, perhaps for good reason.”

McConnell said he’d spoken with his colleagues, and his constituents, and that ultimately he decided he must “lead first by example.”

“Nearly every day that the Senate’s been in session for the past two years, I have come down to this spot and said that Democrats are ignoring the wishes of the American people. When it comes to earmarks, I won’t be guilty of the same thing,” he said.

McConnell did defend previous projects he had supported for Kentucky, saying they were “truly vital,” but that other members had abused the practice.

“Unless people like me show the American people that we’re willing to follow through on small or even symbolic things, we risk losing them on our broader efforts to cut spending and rein in government,” he said.

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The move now puts pressure on Democrats, who will still retain a majority in the Senate in the new Congress, to stand with the GOP. President Obama used his weekly address this weekend to support an earmark ban as well. He also issued a statement Monday afternoon praising McConnell’s “decision to join me and members of both parties who support cracking down on wasteful earmark spending.”

“I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to not only end earmark spending, but to find other ways to bring down our deficits for our children,” he said.

The chairmen of his bipartisan Fiscal Commission included eliminating earmarks in their recent draft proposal to reduce the federal deficit, claiming it would save $16 billion.

McConnell’s announcement came after a meeting this morning with 12 of the 13 new GOP senators in his office. His fellow Republican leaders hailed the turnaround.

“An earmark moratorium shows that elected officials are serious about restoring trust between the American people and those elected to represent them. This is a strong first step -- though only a first step -- towards making the tough choices required to get our country back on track,” Ohio Rep. John Boehner, likely to be the next speaker of the House, said in a statement.

“Now that Republicans are taking real action to end wasteful spending, I hope President Obama follows through with his rhetoric and promises to veto any bill with Democrat earmarks,” DeMint said.

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Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

mmemoli@tribune.com

twitter.com/mikememoli

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