We need a long-term solution to earmark abuse

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

Two employees of the House of Representatives Appropriations committee put in their time, then cashed out to start their own lobbying shop called PMA Group. Then they lavished their old friends in Congress with $40 million in campaign contributions, achieving amazing returns for their clients. It turns out that the Senators they gave to were in charge of doling out defense funding, and they returned the favor with $300 million in earmarks benefiting PMA's clients.

Let me repeat: PMA invested $40 million in campaign contributions and got $300 million in earmarks in return.

With the damage done, the FBI raided PMA's office and the firm disbanded. The startling revelations left members of both parties calling for an investigation. Congressional leadership passed a resolution that resolved nothing, asking the House Ethics Committee to declare whether or not they would investigate the link between earmarks and campaign donations.

The committee came back with a one paragraph statement that said yes, they're reviewing it, and that we, the ones footing the bill, could rest assured that, "As appropriate and where permitted by House and Committee rules, the Committee may release future statements regarding these matters."

Well, we're tired of this game. It seems that whichever party's in control of Congress, wealthy special interests continue to make a mockery of our system of representation. Congress needs to face the underlying conflicts of interest at the heart of this scandal and the countless scandals before it.

Forget the symbolic resolutions. We want an actual resolution. We want a hearing on the Fair Elections Now Act. This bill would sever the link between politicians running for office and the millions of dollars they raise from the very industries they're supposed to oversee. It would give candidates a way to run for office with the support of small donors from their own districts, not defense contractors looking for lucrative earmarks.

The Fair Elections Now Act has been introduced in both the Senate and the House, and it's gaining momentum, with well over 50 Senate and House co-sponsors joining in just a couple of months. The next step is a public hearing. Seeing as a real earmarks investigation doesn't seem forthcoming, Speaker Pelosi and House leadership should schedule a hearing on Fair Elections and clear the path for a new way of doing business.

More PMA resources:
- CREW maps Murtha's web of contributions-for-earmarks connections at You Don't Know Jack
- Rep. Visclosky is paying his PMA-related legal fees with his campaign funds, which were, coincidentally, contributed by PMA
- AP Story
Monica Youn in Roll Call
- More resources on our bookmarks page