House Republicans seem to be wavering on an earmark ban, but voters have a right to know before Election Day whether House Republican leaders will ban earmarks if they win the majority.

Republicans are jumping on the anti-earmark bandwagon after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support for a GOP earmark ban.

In a recent column, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker declared Rep. Ron Paul votes against “virtually every piece of legislation that could be interpreted as government overreach or interference with the free market.” There one small problem with the analysis: It ignores the fact that Paul is one of the biggest pork-barrel earmarkers on Capitol Hill. 

Soon-to-be Utah senator Mike Lee is already shaking things up on Capitol Hill by requesting public, recorded voting for earmark legislation.

The number of appropriators in the GOP leadership is disproportionate to the rest of the Republican caucus and jeopardizes the Party's hopes of retaking Congress by convincing voters that it can restore fiscal discipline.

Recent congressional ethics scandals could prompt necessary changes, such as enforcing ethics standards, implementing greater transparency, and enacting earmark reform.

Robert G. Kaiser tells the story of how earmarks grew into a huge business and distorted our politics.

Two upcoming special elections, in Illinois and Delaware, may offer Senate Republicans the power to oppose a lame-duck session and block the controversial measures that Democrats may try to enact with the votes of defeated or retiring politicians.