We must be strict on bill 'earmarks'

John McCain and Jon Kyl Recent revelations of influence-peddling by so-called superlobbyist Jack Abramoff have given new momentum to lobbying reforms that we have long supported. In fact, lobbying-reform bills will be among the first considered by the House and Senate after they reconvene in the coming weeks. We have always sought to bring Arizona values to the workings of Washington; no value is more important than integrity. Without the confidence that elected representatives are doing the people's business, with only their best interests in mind, the very foundation of our democratic republic is put at risk. People of good faith can have differences of opinion about how to solve problems, but their motivations must always be beyond question. With that in mind, we helped lead the way in 1995 when Congress last enacted a gift ban and significant lobbying reforms, and we're working with a handful of our colleagues now to further tighten those rules. But the current lobbying-reform efforts are sure to fall short if Congress does not confront what is perhaps the greatest invitation to corruption: the growing practice of "earmarking" taxpayer dollars for special-interest projects in the annual spending bills that Congress must pass. "Earmarks" are single provisions in spending bills that often run into the hundreds of pages, provisions that few members of Congress have read or even heard of and often don't find out about until days or weeks after the bills have passed. Earmarking breeds corruption. It's a practice that can tempt even good people to do bad things. Years ago, President Reagan vetoed a major highway bill because, as he put it, it included "unjustifiable funding for narrow, individual special-interest highway and transit construction projects." That bill included a grand total of 152 such projects that would have cost $1.4 billion over five years. Fast-forward to 2005: Congress passed a highway bill that was packed with more than 6,500 special-interest projects costing more than $24 billion. We objected to this special-interest feasting at the public trough. We were among just four senators to vote against the bill. We were among the few who similarly opposed last year's energy bill, which was also loaded with special-interest spending and tax provisions. Though it has put us at odds with some of our colleagues, we continue to fight the battle against earmarking. A few years ago, we earned the criticism of senators on the Appropriations Committee for even suggesting that Senate rules should be amended to make it more difficult to add special-interest provisions to spending legislation. Just 36 senators joined us in voting for a McCain amendment to attack such earmarks. This year, we will introduce broader lobbying reforms, including a proposal to bring greater transparency by requiring that special earmarks be included in bills themselves, rather than being hidden in the reports that committees write to explain the measures. The sponsors of these earmarks would have to be publicly disclosed. Although there are a variety of lobbying reforms that Congress should consider, going after earmarks is key. They are the "prize" lobbyists are after, a prize that comes at the expense of the American taxpayer. That said, it also is perhaps the most difficult practice to end because many politicians perceive it to be the bread and butter that preserve their incumbency. We're proud that when watchdog groups such as Citizens Against Government Waste rate Congress, we are always ranked among the most careful with tax dollars. CAGW's latest ranking puts us as the best Senate delegation in the nation in watching out for taxpayers' interests. We have long stood up for the taxpayers, and now it is time for the rest of Congress to join us in putting an end to wasteful spending that benefits politicians and lobbyists but hurts our country. Limit spending, and the influence of lobbyists will diminish with it. If the latest lobbying scandal in Washington proves anything, it is that the time to put an end to special-interest earmarking is now. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both Republicans, represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate.