Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, whom National Journal magazine rates as the top-ranked Senate Conservative, blasted supporters of an earmark ban on the floor of the Senate Wednesday. 

 “Banning all earmarks will not save a dime, because it will just shift spending to the Executive Branch,” Inhofe said.  Inhofe took particular aim at fellow conservative Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina who authored an amendment to ban earmarks that was soundly defeated (68 to 29) by the Senate earlier in the week.  “Then we have Senator DeMint, who--again, I really value him. He is one of my closest friends. I remember when he was first running for office. I went to South Carolina, and they talked about how roads were so important down there, and he swore he would support them. So he did. He kept his word. These are earmarks. Senator DeMint: $10 million for the construction of I-73 at Myrtle Beach; $15 million to widen U.S. 278 to six lanes; $10 million, engineering, design, and construction of a port access road; $10 million in improvements to U.S. 17; $5 million, widening SC 9; $3 million to complete construction. These are earmarks that were done by Senator DeMint. I don't blame him. That is what we are supposed to be doing. I have done the same thing. You add up all these earmarks on just that bill, and it comes to $110 million. Those are Senator DeMint's earmarks on that one bill.”  

A press release issued later in the day from Senator Inhofe’s office referred to an earmark ban as a “shell game.”