Coburn and McCain’s 2006 Pledge to Challenge Individual Earmarks
Sen. Tom Coburn and Sen. John McCain’s 2006 plan to force a floor vote on every earmark did not end the practice, but the broader fight over earmarks did. Congress stopped earmarking in 2011 and brought it back in 2021 under new names: Community Project Funding in the House and Congressionally Directed Spending in the Senate. As of November 2026, lawmakers must post their requests online, certify in writing that they have no financial interest, and send the money only to public or nonprofit recipients. The FY2027 earmarks are still undecided because the government is running on a stopgap law that expires December 11, 2026.
In late January 2006, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sent a letter to every other senator. It said they would challenge each individual earmark that reached the Senate floor. The Washington Times reported on January 26, 2006 that the letter had gone out the night before. The full text follows.
The letter
Dear Senator,
As you know, the American people are currently engaged in a vigorous debate about our country’s spending priorities. Many are openly discussing the propriety of earmarks and legislative policy provisions inserted into appropriations bills at the direction of individual lawmakers. We believe that the process of earmarking undermines the confidence of the American public in Congress because the practice is not open, fair, or competitive and tends to reward the politically well-connected.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the number of earmarks has skyrocketed over the past decade, from 4,126 in 1994 to 15,268 in 2005. We are committed to doing all we can to halt this egregious earmarking practice and plan to challenge future legislative earmarks that come to the Senate floor. This will give all Senators the opportunity to learn the merits of proposed earmarked projects and affirm or reject them. Even though votes on earmarks will undoubtedly be quite time-consuming, we sincerely believe that American taxpayers are entitled to a more thorough debate and disclosure about how their money is being spent.
We also believe that it is wrong to violate Senate Rules by inserting new provisions that are not included in either a Senate or House bill into conference reports at the last minute. The unsavory practice of inserting such provisions at the last minute stifles debate and empowers well-heeled lobbyists at the expense of those who cannot afford access to power. Decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent should not be made in the dark, behind closed doors. Therefore, we also plan to challenge future violations of Senate Rules, and, as necessary, we will offer proposals to strengthen current Senate Rules in order to increase transparency and accountability in the expenditure of taxpayer dollars.
Sincerely,
Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
Senator John McCain
A note on the numbers in the letter
The 1994 number in the letter matches the Congressional Research Service (CRS) count: 4,126 earmarks in FY1994, worth $29.6 billion. The 2005 number was later revised. When Coburn testified to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on March 16, 2006, he cited CRS data showing 15,877 earmarks in FY2005, worth $47.4 billion. Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group, came up with its own count of 15,584 for that year. Different groups defined an “earmark” in slightly different ways, which explains the gaps.
What the senators promised
The letter made two commitments.
- Challenge earmarks on the floor. Fox News reported that Coburn planned to offer one amendment for each earmark in an appropriations bill. That would force a recorded vote on each project.
- Challenge last-minute additions. The senators said they would object when provisions that neither chamber had passed were added to conference reports. They also said they might propose changes to the Senate rules.
Coburn also said he would try to delay spending bills until senators had 72 hours to read them.
How colleagues and outside groups responded
Reactions differed. The National Taxpayers Union, a group that favors lower spending, published an open letter backing the pledge. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) was quoted calling a vote on every earmark unrealistic and saying earmarks are not evil in themselves. Defenders of earmarks generally argued that the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, and that members know their districts’ needs better than federal agencies do.
How the pledge played out
The floor challenges started in spring 2006. According to the Washington Times, Coburn used Senate procedure in May 2006 to force votes on individual projects in an emergency spending bill for the war and for hurricane recovery. The results were mixed, and most of the challenges did not pass.
The pledge built on an earlier vote. On October 20, 2005, the Senate rejected a Coburn amendment 82 to 15. The amendment would have moved money for Alaska’s “Bridge to Nowhere” to rebuilding a Louisiana bridge damaged by Hurricane Katrina. McCain did not vote. That fight helped start PorkBusters, a blogger-run campaign against congressional earmarks. From 2006 to 2010 it was based at this address, where it published letters like this one and urged readers to contact their senators.
Transparency laws that followed
Coburn’s bigger lasting changes came through disclosure laws, not one vote per earmark.
| Year | Measure | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (P.L. 109-282), sponsored by Coburn and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) | Created the public spending database now known as USAspending.gov |
| 2007 | House earmark disclosure rule and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (P.L. 110-81) | Required earmarks to be listed along with the sponsoring member |
| 2010 to 2011 | House and Senate earmark moratorium | Stopped earmarks in appropriations bills through party rules and committee policy |
| 2021 | Community Project Funding (House) and Congressionally Directed Spending (Senate) | Brought earmarks back with new disclosure rules and limits |
Coburn left the Senate in January 2015 and died in March 2020. McCain died in August 2018.
Earmarks from the 2011 ban to the 2021 return
The ban that began in 2011 was never written into the rules of either chamber. It rested on party rules and committee practice, and Congress renewed it that way each term. Earmark critics said it worked. Critics of the ban said it shifted spending decisions to executive branch agencies and made bills harder to pass, because leaders had fewer tools to win votes.
In February 2021, House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) announced that earmarks would return as Community Project Funding. House Democrats said the new process was not a return to the earlier, looser system. Republicans kept the program after they took the House majority in 2023, with some changes.
How earmarks work as of November 2026
Today’s earmarks run on a request, disclose and certify system.
- A member asks. House members and senators submit project requests to the appropriations subcommittees.
- The request goes public. Members post their requests online, and the committees publish tables of approved projects. The Senate Appropriations Committee posts its Congressionally Directed Spending lists bill by bill.
- The member certifies. Each member certifies in writing that neither they nor their spouse has a financial interest in the project.
- The recipient must qualify. Money can go to state and local governments and to eligible nonprofits. For-profit companies are not allowed.
- There is a cap. Total earmarks are limited to a share of discretionary spending. The limit was 1 percent when the program returned in 2021.
- Projects get audited. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits a sample of funded projects.
The House Appropriations Committee is chaired by Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), from Coburn’s home state. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Where the money stands
FY2026: In its 2026 Congressional Pig Book, the group Citizens Against Government Waste counted 8,392 earmarks worth $23.7 billion. That total includes items with no named sponsor. CQ Roll Call used a narrower definition and reported about $15.5 billion in enacted FY2026 earmarks through mid-year, not counting the Homeland Security bill.
FY2027: The fiscal year began October 1, 2026 under the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 (Division A of P.L. 119-103). The House passed it 370 to 48 and the Senate 90 to 6. It funds the government through December 11, 2026. A stopgap like this generally does not fund new earmarks. CRS reports that the House-passed FY2027 Agriculture bill includes Community Project Funding in several USDA accounts. Whether any FY2027 earmarks become law depends on what Congress does after the 2026 midterm elections and before the December 12 funding gap.
FAQ
When did Coburn and McCain send the earmark letter?
The Washington Times reported on January 26, 2006 that the two senators sent the letter the night before. That puts it on January 25, 2006. Coburn described the pledge again in a February 10, 2006 opinion piece.
Did they actually challenge every earmark?
No. There were thousands of earmarks a year, so a vote on each one was never practical. Coburn did force votes on specific projects, including in the spring 2006 emergency spending bill. Most of those amendments failed.
Are earmarks banned now?
No. Congress stopped earmarking in 2011 under party rules and committee policy, then brought it back in 2021. The House calls earmarks Community Project Funding and the Senate calls them Congressionally Directed Spending. Both require public disclosure and written conflict-of-interest certifications.
How much money goes to earmarks today?
Citizens Against Government Waste counted 8,392 earmarks worth $23.7 billion for FY2026, including unsponsored items. Narrower counts, such as CQ Roll Call’s, are lower. Under the cap, earmarks are a small share of discretionary spending.
Where can the public see earmark requests?
Each member posts their requests on their official website. The House and Senate appropriations committees publish tables of funded projects for each bill. After money is awarded, USAspending.gov shows federal grant spending, and GAO audits a sample of earmarked projects.
What happens to FY2027 earmarks if Congress passes another stopgap?
Stopgap laws usually continue funding at the previous year’s levels and leave out new earmarks. If Congress replaces the December 11, 2026 stopgap with a full-year continuing resolution, the FY2027 projects members requested could go unfunded. That happened to FY2025 earmarks after Congress passed a full-year stopgap in March 2025.
Sources
- Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2027 (Division A of P.L. 119-103), Congressional Research Service
- Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2027 Appropriations, Congressional Research Service
- FY 2026 Congressionally Directed Spending, Senate Appropriations Committee
- Coburn testimony, March 16, 2006, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Ellis testimony, March 16, 2006, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Citizens Against Government Waste, 2026 Congressional Pig Book
- CQ Roll Call, “Earmarks flood spending bills after a year’s hiatus”
About this article
- Fact-checked before publication.
- Published · Updated
