Dash for Cash Is On as Earmarks Return to Washington – By The Fiscal Times Newsroom (The Fiscal Times) / May 14 2021
Plus, Democrats blow off GOP’s debt limit demands
Dash for Cash Is On as Earmarks Return to Washington
Banned for more than a decade, earmarks have returned to the halls of Congress, and lawmakers are wasting no time lining up their requests.
In recent weeks, more than 300 lawmakers have requested nearly $21 billion for “member-designated projects,” the new term of art for earmarks, The Washington Post’s Tony Room and Alyssa Fowers report. Every House Democrat but one has made a request in at least one of two spending areas, for a combined total of $14 billion, and about half of Republicans have done so as well, for a collective total of $7 billion.
A Republican from Louisiana, Rep. Garret Graves, has made the largest single request, seeking $955 million for transportation-related projects in his district, which includes Baton Rouge. Democrat Kim Schrier of Washington has made the second largest request, seeking $892 million for highways and bridges in her district east of Seattle.
Both requests were made for possible inclusion in the highway funding bill, a five-year law that passed in 2015 and was extended for one year, expiring at the end of September. Total requests for the transportation bill have come to nearly $15 billion.
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