U.S. Senate denies "earmark ban" - Oklahoma senator/Tea Party measure failed Tuesday

coverage from the Alaska Daily News (Anchorage) on the failure of Republicans aligned with "Tea Party" to force such a three-year "moratorium"

Alaska's senators vote against earmark ban


NOVEMBER 30, 2010 - 9:06 AM
From AP correspondent Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –
Both of Alaska's senators cast votes this morning against a proposed moratorium on earmarks, saying the state still has critical infrastructure needs that are best served by such appropriations.
"I am committed to addressing Alaska’s enormous infrastructure needs and will continue to support requests from Alaskans for community-backed investments in public buildings, roads, ports and other projects and programs that create jobs, strengthen our communities and keep our economy moving," said Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the vote "long on bravado but short on substance." The rest of the Republican Senate conference voted earlier this month on its own earmark moratorium, but Murkowski didn't support that, either.
"We recognize that we need to stop out-of-control spending, but we need to make sure that any action we take actually translates into spending and deficit reduction rather than just messaging," she said.
The earmark moratorium, which failed 56-39, was an amendment sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and would have covered 2011, 2012, and 2013. Including Murkowski, eight Republicans voted against the moratorium. Seven Democrats voted for it.
The amendment was to a broader food safety bill that increases Food and Drug Administration inspections of food processing facilities and forces producers to recall tainted foods. It does not cover meat, poultry or processed eggs, which are inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Both Begich and Murkowski voted for the overall food safety bill, too, which passed 73-25. Only Republicans voted against the bill.