The Pro-Pork Republicans Make Their Stand

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This morning, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn’s proposal to ban earmarks for the next three fiscal years failed in the senate, by a vote of 39 to 56. Eight Republicans broke with their party to vote in favor of continued earmarks, and seven Democrats voted against earmarks.

For those fiscal conservatives outraged at Republican spending on pet projects, they need look no further than this Roll Call vote to find out how to direct their ire. The pro-earmark Republicans were: Robert Bennett of Utah, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Richard Lugar of Indiana, and George Voinovich of Ohio.

Two of them, Voinovich and Bennett, are enjoying their final weeks as a U.S. Senator. Six of the eight–Cochran, Collins, Murkowski, Shelby, Voinovich, Bennett–are members of the Committee on Appropriations, which is in charge of handing out the earmarks. Two other Republican members of the Appropriations committee, Kit Bond of Missouri and Sam Brownback of Kansas, did not make the vote.

Seven Democrats broke ranks to support the earmark ban: Evan Bayh of Indiana, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Bill Nelson of Florida, Mark Udall of Colorado and Mark Warner of Virginia. Bayh and Feingold are on their way out the door.

Three other Democrats did not make the vote: Barbara Boxer of California, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Mikulski is a member of the Appropriations Committee.