The Senate Appropriations Committee is actively soliciting earmark requests in violation of its “earmark moratorium.”  Dr. Coburn wrote to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd to express his concerns with this development.

Excerpts: 

• “While I am encouraged by your pledge to ‘place a moratorium on all earmarks until a reformed process is put in place,’ I am very concerned that Senate Appropriations subcommittees are actively soliciting earmark requests even though a ‘reformed process’ is not in place.” 
• “Although the Senate was unanimous in its support of these disclosure requirements, several earmark solicitation forms recently sent by Senate Appropriations subcommittees do not require the disclosure of many required items.” 
• “I am extremely disappointed and troubled by the fact that Senate Appropriations Subcommittees are soliciting earmarks but not complying with the basic requirements of Section 103 of S.1. In the absence of final Senate enactment of meaningful earmark reform, the Senate Appropriations Committee has the ability to make earmark information public immediately. The Committee’s failure to make earmark information public would make a mockery of recently passed earmark reforms and would suggest to taxpayers that the Senate wants to continue to earmark funds in secret.”