Shot of The Day: Odd Couple To Battle Earmarks

MAC-CASKILL

Sen. Claire McCaskill joins Sen. John McCain to sponsor an anti-earmark bill that
would take aggressive steps to prevent pork barrel funding in appropriations bills without transparency and congressional approval.

The legislation would:

• Allow Senators to raise a "point of order" to remove earmarks in appropriations bills if the project was not authorized in a separate bill. 60 votes would be needed to override the "point of order" and keep the earmark.
• Require that all bills that authorize funding be electronically searchable 48 hours before the Senate votes on the bill.
• Requires all recipients of federal funds to disclose money spent on registered lobbyists.

NBC News notes: McCaskill said she was "tickled pink" to share the stage with former presidential candidate McCain Wednesday. (She once derided him for "lies.") McCain had praise for McCaskill as well for her work fighting waste on the Armed Services Committee.