Senate Republicans, including lieutenants to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), are pressuring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to adopt earmark reform.

The pressure puts McConnell in a tricky position. As leader, he must consider seriously the policy priorities of the party’s presumptive presidential nominee and Senate conservatives. But as a longtime member of the Appropriations Committee who has used earmarks to help constituents, he may worry about limiting his and his colleagues’ power of the purse.

Some conservatives suspect McConnell, who has touted his record of steering federal funds to his state during his reelection campaign, is not 100 percent enthusiastic about reform.

McConnell has held off conservatives who demanded that Republicans immediately follow the task force’s proposals. He has insisted on first negotiating with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in order to build bipartisan support for the reforms, which the entire Senate could then adopt.

But those talks have shown little evidence of progress, and some Senate Republicans are becoming impatient.

McCain’s closest allies in the Senate, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), have called on Republicans to adopt the recommended reforms unilaterally.

“It would help our conference to march down the road of leading by example,” said Graham, who wants the Republican Conference to adopt the reforms for its own members if Democrats reject them. He said that should happen this year.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Brownback, general co-chairman of McCain’s campaign. “It would put pressure on Democrats, it would be indicative of Republican values and the country would appreciate it.”

Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.), chairman of the conservative Republican Steering Committee, said he is prepared to force the issue when Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess.

“I’d like to have a conference to vote on it to show we’re all behind the idea,” said DeMint. “I’m certainly going to push for a show of support.”

He said he could call for a conference-wide vote on the issue with the support of a few colleagues. Senate Republican rules call for a conference meeting any time it is requested by five senators.

The Lugar-led task force has called for several reforms:

All earmarks contained in authorization, appropriations and tax bills must be disclosed in legislative text to close loopholes that allow some earmarks to circumvent restrictions.

Senators must disclose all earmarks and make them searchable on the Internet.

Senators must publicly disclose information for each earmark, such as the identity of the beneficiary.

Money saved from deleted earmarks would go toward reducing the deficit.

McConnell has said he supports the task force’s recommendations, but several Senate Republicans are skeptical as to whether he really wants to tighten restrictions on appropriators, given his tenure on the Appropriations Committee.