McCaskill, Portman Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Job-Creators, Prevent Earmarks

Release:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today joined together and introduced bipartisan legislation to simplify federal processes for America’s manufacturers, while continuing to guard against Congressional earmarks for pork-barrel projects.

“This bipartisan bill is an important step to strengthen a valuable tool for our job-creators, while ensuring that tool doesn’t turn into a backdoor for allowing earmarks to worm their way back into the legislative process,” said McCaskill, a longtime and outspoken opponent of Congressional earmarks. “We’ve already seen leaders in the U.S. House try to sneak around the earmark ban and nab taxpayer dollars for their own pet projects, so I’m going to stay vigilant while reducing unnecessary burdens for Missouri’s employers.”

“While it is important Washington does away with unnecessary tariffs that increase costs for Ohio businesses and consumers without benefiting any American producers, we need to do it under a better, more efficient system,” Portman said. “Under this measure, we create a transparent, merit-driven process that would allow businesses seeking tariff relief to go directly to the experts at the International Trade Commission. I believe these reforms are the only way we’re going to get important tariff relief through the Congress this year, and I hope Congress will move quickly to provide more certainty for job creators through this merit-based approach.”

In today’s high-tech and globalized economy, American companies need a host of specialized materials, such as certain fibers or chemicals, to build their products. Often, those materials are not produced in the United States, and can only be purchased from overseas. However, tariffs on those specialized materials produced overseas can make them expensive to import, putting American manufacturers at a disadvantage compared to their foreign competitors. In some cases, tariffs on materials make it cheaper to move production overseas altogether—hurting American job-growth.

In cases where a product is subject to a tariff and is unavailable for purchase from an American company, current rules allow companies needing that product to get tariff relief. Congress has regularly passed a “Miscellaneous Tariff Bill” comprised of hundreds of tariff reductions for such products. However, the process requires those companies to get members of Congress to introduce a bill on their behalf for each item on which they wish to suspend tariffs. Once those businesses have convinced a member of Congress to introduce such a tariff-relief bill, their request can be sent to the International Trade Commission (ITC) for review.

McCaskill and Portman have introduced the Temporary Duty Suspension Process Act to streamline the process for duty-suspensions by allowing companies to submit their proposals directly to the International Trade Commission and retaining final approval for Congress. These changes would bolster accountability by lessening the chance for backdoor earmarks—and would improve the process for job-creators, as they would no longer be forced to hire high-paid lobbyists to help get individual legislation introduced at the start of the process. This process change also ensures that bills introduced in Congress do not inadvertently hurt American competitors.

There would be three paths for an article to be considered for a temporary duty suspension or reduction: (1) initiated by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC); (2) via petition from an outside party; or (3) by a referral from a Member of Congress, although no preference could be shown. Through this process, the USITC would review particular articles for approval, allow public comments and objections, take comments from the Administration and Congress, and submit a draft bill containing its recommendations for duty suspensions or reductions to the appropriate Congressional Committees. The bill preserves the role of Congress in the overall duty suspension process by requiring the USITC draft bill to be processed under regular order.

The bill authorizes the new process to be used for three rounds (2012, 2015, and 2018). While it requires a comprehensive review by the ITC of all possible eligible items in 2015 and 2018, an exception is included for the 2012 round so that it can be completed under a truncated timeline.

A copy of McCaskill and Portman’s bipartisan bill is available online, HERE.

Senate Votes Down Earmarks, McConnell Fails to Hold GOP Line

The Senate has announced that they are all for pork. They have voted down a ban on earmarks. From the Hill:

The Senate on Tuesday morning defeated a proposal from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to ban congressional earmarks.

In a 39-56 vote, members defeated a temporary ban on the appropriations procedure. The moratorium was offered as an amendment to a food-safety bill that is scheduled for a final vote Tuesday morning.

Senate Republicans have already passed a voluntary ban on earmarks in their caucus, but several GOP senators have objected to it. Democrats have so far declined to ban earmarks from their members.

The legislation would have established an earmark moratorium for fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and also would have covered the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Congress has yet to pass an appropriations bill for the current fiscal year, and in the lame-duck session lawmakers are likely to approve either an omnibus spending bill or a continuing resolution to keep the government operating.


In speeches on Monday, Coburn said the ban was the only way to rein in out-of-control spending. He did not speak on Tuesday morning, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who supports the ban, alluded to the issue in remarks about the current debate over tax cuts.

"Republicans have heard the voters loud and clear," McConnell said. "They want us to focus on preventing a tax hike on every taxpayer, on reining in Washington spending and on making it easier for employers to start hiring again."

Eight GOP Senators joined the piggies in the Democrat party in shooting down the ban on earmarks, showing that Mitch McConnell is not holding the line as the GOP leader in the Senate.

Here is the comedic front, from Senator Dick "the Turban" Durbin, Statist, Illinois, who loves terrorists and hates our troops:

"I believe I have an important responsibility to the state of Illinois and the people I represent to direct federal dollars into projects critically important for our state and our future," Durbin said.

"We have put in place the most dramatic reform of this appropriations process since I've served in Congress," said Majority Whip and Appropriations Committee member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). "There is full disclosure in my office of every single request for an appropriation. We then ask those who have made the requests to have a full disclaimer of their involvement in the appropriation, so it's there for the public record. This kind of transparency is virtually unprecedented."

Sure, Dick, (may I call you dick?), you have have put names to them, but you still allow earmarks to be put on non-germaine bills so they can be passed. You still allow pet projects to be put into defense spending bills and such so that the project has to pass or the whole bill fails. That is what we are talking about, you corrupt, appeasing gasbag!

Here are the traitorous Republicans who want more pork and earmarks:

Eight GOP senators voted to preserve earmark spending, including Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), James Inhofe (Okla.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Richard Shelby (Ala.). Retiring Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio) and defeated Sen. Bob Bennett (Utah) also voted against it.

Gosh, George, I thought you were like a deficit hawk and stuff. Guess not, you pork barrel earmark loving slug. Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out.

Senator-Elect Portman on Earmark Ban

I have been informed that Senator-Elect Rob Portman is a YES vote on the earmark ban:

“Americans are rightly frustrated with out of control spending and record debt and deficit. Republicans have heard those concerns, and are taking clear steps to get Washington spending under control. I hope the President and Congressional Democrats also step up so we can take real steps to get our fiscal house in order.”

11/16/10 UPDATE: On Twitter, Rob Portman says:

Looking forward to making progress today to help keep Washington in check.This includes work on unfunded mandates, entitlements, & earmarks.

Emphasis added.

So, solid positions taken so far by Portman include being for Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and against unfunded mandates, entitlements and earmarks. Got it.

Rob Portman on Earmarks

UNDECIDED

If I've said it a million times over the last election cycle, it is still worth repeating: Rob Portman ran -- and won -- a beauty contest instead of a political campaign.  He had NOBODY challenge him on any issue and he didn't say or write ANYTHING that might be taken as an actual position on anything other than jobs, jobs, jobs, 9-page book, jobs. 

Well, here we are with a real issue and we have NO IDEA what Senator-Elect Rob Portman is actually going to do.  Rob claimed to be a fiscal conservative, but sources tell me that he is "undecided" on the issue of banning earmarks.  Is Rob Portman not as dedicated to the idea of reducing spending as he appeared to be on the campaign trail?

Enquiring minds want to know, Mr. Senator-Elect...

UPDATE:  Senator-Elect Rob Portman sent in this statement regarding earmarks:

“Americans are rightly frustrated with out of control spending and record debt and deficit. Republicans have heard those concerns, and are taking clear steps to get Washington spending under control. I hope the President and Congressional Democrats also step up so we can take real steps to get our fiscal house in order.”I have been informed that Rob Portman is a YES vote on the earmark ban.

RELATED POST: "Senator-Elect Portman on Earmark Ban"