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Kelly Ayotte on Government Reform
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Praised Sen. Gregg for earmarks; but pledges against them
Ayotte and Hodes have both taken pledges against earmarks. As attorney general, Ayotte praised Sen. Gregg for earmarks that benefited law enforcement but has adamantly rejected that position after launching her campaign for U.S. Senate. Hodes and
Ayotte accuse each other of adopting the anti-earmark position as a matter of political convenience."Congressman Hodes is having an election-year conversion on earmarks. He requested over 60 earmarks last year. He's voted for 9,000 earmarks just in
2009 alone," Ayotte said. Asked what she would say to the defense contractors and other businesses benefiting from Gregg's effort, Ayotte said: "What's happened with earmarks in this country is they've been used to buy and sell votes.
We saw it so much with the health care bill, the buying and selling of votes and other examples in Washington. That type of corruption has to end. With respect to our businesses we should reform the process in Washington."
Source: Boston Globe coverage of 2010 N.H. Senate debate
, Oct 7, 2010
Ban earmarks; Hodes voted for 9,000 of them
Hodes defended his 2009 vote for the $800 billion stimulus package. "Nobody wanted to make those investments, but they had to be done; it was an emergency situation," Hodes said.Ayotte said the stimulus only created "temporary or government" jobs and
more taxpayer-paid spending hurt the economy as national unemployment increased by 2.5 million jobs. "It was a big government program, but it didn't allow the growth in the private sector," Ayotte said.
During the four years Hodes was in Congress,
Ayotte said the federal deficit went up 525%, the debt increased $5 trillion to $13 trillion and Hodes voted for 9,000 earmarks last year. "Congressman Hodes is wanting to portray himself as a fiscal conservative," Ayotte said.
In this campaign, both
candidates call for a ban on earmarks. Ayotte said Hodes had an election year conversion on earmarks. Hodes noted Ayotte earlier in this campaign had defended earmarks as long as they were transparent until after Hodes had endorsed the ban.
Source: Nashua Telegraph coverage of 2010 N.H. Senate debate
, Sep 23, 2010
Make Congressional pay "performance-based"
To empathize with the struggle working families have had through this recession, Hodes supports cutting the pay of Congress and the president by 10 percent.Ayotte said congressional pay should be "performance-based" and predicted
Hodes would not fare well under such a system given his votes on taxes and spending. "I think that he owes the taxpayers of New Hampshire a refund," Ayotte concluded.
Source: Nashua Telegraph coverage of 2010 N.H. Senate debate
, Sep 23, 2010
End earmarks; post donations online
Kelly Ayotte believes we need to clean up Washington. To ensure a more responsible, transparent government: - Post all legislation online for at least 72 hours, allowing legislators and the public, the opportunity to read each bill before they are
voted on
- End the corrupt earmark process
- Freeze congressional office budgets (5.7% increase this year)
- Senate campaigns should file their returns electronically and post donations online immediately
- Pass term limits legislation.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, ayotteforsenate.com, "Issues"
, Jul 20, 2010
No Pork Pledge: decrease earmarking; increase transparency.
Ayotte signed Citizens Against Government Waste's "No Pork Pledge"
Despite congressional reforms over the past several years to reduce pork barreling and increase earmark accountability and transparency, earmarks continue to figure prominently as the "currency of corruption" on Capitol Hill, undermining the federal budgetary process and our democratic system of government. In an effort to encourage more members of Congress and candidates for office to kick the earmarking habit, CCAGW has launched a new no-gimmicks, anti-pork pledge.
By signing CCAGW’s No Pork Pledge, incumbents and candidates vow not to request any pork-barrel earmark, which is defined as meeting one of the following criteria: - Requested by only one chamber of Congress
- Not specifically authorized
- Not competitively awarded
- Not requested by the President
- Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding
- Not the subject of congressional hearings
- Serves only a local or special interest
Source: Citizens Against Government Waste's "No Pork Pledge" 10-CAGW on Aug 12, 2010
Identify constitutionality in every new congressional bill.
Ayotte signed the Contract From America
The Contract from America, clause 1. Protect the Constitution:
Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does.
Source: The Contract From America 10-CFA01 on Jul 8, 2010
Audit federal agencies, to reform or eliminate them.
Ayotte signed the Contract From America
The Contract from America, clause 5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in Washington:
Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality,
Source: The Contract From America 10-CFA05 on Jul 8, 2010
Moratorium on all earmarks until budget is balanced.
Ayotte signed the Contract From America
The Contract from America, clause 9. Stop the Pork:
Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark.
Source: The Contract From America 10-CFA09 on Jul 8, 2010
Page last updated: Apr 22, 2013
