$8 Billion Worth of Earmarks in 2023 House Spending Bill, With More to Come – By Michael Rainey (The Fiscal Times) / June 28, 2022
Not so long ago, earmarks were viewed with suspicion by many lawmakers, especially on the Republican side of the aisle, and in an effort led by tea party activists about 10 years ago, the spending set-asides were banned in Congress. However, earmarks – now sometimes referred to as “member-directed spending” – have made something of a comeback, and the 2022 omnibus spending package contained more than 4,000 of them, worth about $9 billion.
Lawmakers are currently trying to hash out their spending plans for 2023, and Roll Call’s Peter Cohn and Herb Jackson report Tuesday that members of the House have sprinkled 4,386 earmarks worth $8.2 billion throughout their appropriations bills.
Republicans have led the way for 2023, claiming eight of the top 10 earmark totals. At the top of the list is a Republican from Texas, Rep. Randy Weber, who secured “community project funding” worth $287.5 million – the most by far of any representative, but still short of the $547 million he initially requested. The money will be spread across 10 projects, most related to energy infrastructure in his district near Houston.
