Yesterday, Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) announced that the Senate will not advance earmark requests during the FY11 and FY12 appropriations cycles. The annoumcement follows decisions by the House of Representatives and President Obama to oppose the inclusion of special member projects in appropriations bills. Senator Inouye’s statement affirms his belief that Members of Congress should be able to direct spending in support of meritorious constituent projects and commits to reviewing the earmark process so that improvements can be made.