Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that earmarks should be put back on the table as a tool for Congress, becoming the latest voice in a growing chorus to return to the days when pork-barrel spending dominated the annual appropriations process."I have been a fan of earmarks since I got here the first day," Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, told reporters. "Keep in mind, that's what the country has done for more than 200 years, except for the brief period of time in recent years that we haven't done these."
He and other supporters said earmarks were part of the founders' vision of government and that they served to help
get bills passed, making them an attractive antidote to the gridlock in Congress over the past four years.The nostalgia has earmark opponents worried.
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican and the top waste-watcher in Congress, circulated a letter last week with Sen. Mark Udall, Colorado Democrat, asking colleagues to pledge to stand by the earmark ban.
"We recognize there are a wide range of views on this subject in our caucuses but we believe it is important to reaffirm our support for this policy," the letter said. "Congress has ample flexibility to exercise its power of the purse and represent the interests of our constituents without using earmarks."
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