[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18479-18480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                EARMARKS

  (Mr. REHBERG asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. REHBERG. Mr. Speaker, earmarks represent the culture of spending 
that has led to record deficits and debts that are literally costing us 
our future. We've got to change that culture, and we've got to start 
right now. Today, we can save the American taxpayer as much as $16.5 
billion. That money can go to pay down some of the debt we've accrued 
against our children's future. That's why I made the decision last year 
to forgo earmarks. It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right 
one. That's why President Obama and Montana's Democrat Governor have 
also thrown their support behind eliminating earmarks.
  But earmarks are just the beginning. We also need to balance the 
budget and seriously cut spending across the

[[Page 18480]]

board. If Congress doesn't have the courage to cut earmarks, how can we 
hope to tackle the bigger problems later?

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