Civic Register
| 1.18.18

House Lawmakers Discuss Bringing Back Earmarks

Join us and tell your reps how you feel!

The House Rules Committee held hearings Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the merits and problems posed by bringing earmarks back to Congress. The controversial spending provisions have been banned since 2011 when congressional Republicans and former President Barack Obama did away with the practice.

Earmarks refer to provisions in spending bills that are targeted to a specific state, locality, congressional district, or entity that allocate funding in a way other than a legal or administrative formula or a competitive award process. Perhaps the most infamous example of an earmark was the $400 million "bridge to nowhere", which sought to connect the town of Ketchikan, Alaska by road to its airport on a neighboring island that had 50 residents. According to a 2006 CRS report, the total value of federal earmarks that year totalled $67 billion

Critics of earmarks say that they lead to inefficient and wasteful spending, and in some cases create ethical problems for the lawmakers advancing them. Proponents argue that by focusing spending in certain areas, it’s easier for Congress to pass legislation because they can use earmarks to entice members to vote for a bill they’d otherwise oppose.

Congressman Don Young (R-AK), the longest-serving member of Congress who was responsible for the "bridge to nowhere", has been a strong advocate for earmarks. During Wednesday’s debate he claimed to “have the votes” to bring back earmarks in the face of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) opposition.

On that note he may find a sympathetic ear across the aisle, as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she supports bringing back earmarks "on a limited basis" with transparency requirements such as posting earmark requests on member websites. Her deputy, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said he’d encourage Democrats to support bringing back earmarks.

But any effort to restore earmarks would require both the House and Senate to vote to change their internal rules prohibiting them — a politically risky vote when senators voted to reaffirm the earmark ban at the start of the 115th Congress. It’s possible, but not certain, that the Rules Committee will make a recommendation about whether earmarks should be restored, but if Congress moves to bring them back we’ll have more here at Countable.

Do you think earmarks help Congress get things done? Do they promote wasteful spending and raise ethical issues? Tell your lawmakers what you think and join the conversation in the comments below!

— Eric Revell

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