Overall, 64 senators made 8,055 requests totaling $26.8 billion. Far fewer Republicans participated than Democrats. Only 16 GOP senators submitted requests, including a few senior members like Appropriations Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL), Budget Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD). Only two Democrats, Jon Tester (D-MT) and Margaret Hassan (D-NH) […]
House earmarks requests: Why, what, and ...
This year, after a 10-year moratorium, the majority leadership in the House of Representatives reinstituted the ability of members to submit federal funding requests for projects in their districts. More commonly known as “earmarks,” requests for local, regional, or state funding have existed since the first Congress. They have returned, along with some major modifications […]
Fees, fines and penalties: Has Congress ...
Has Congress lost control of the purse by delegating authority to agencies to self-fund theiractivities with fees, fines, and penalties? To answer this question, this paper first begins by reviewing the constitutional provisions andstatutory provisions that required funds collected to be deposited in the Treasury andreappropriated. The paper then tries to clarify the extent to […]
Reviving earmarks the right way: Some ad...
The Democratic leadership in Congress is currently making fast moves toward reimplementing earmarks after a 10-year moratorium. This is a very positive development to re-empower legislators to direct needed federal resources to local and regional needs. As we’ve written in our recent AEI report, the earmark moratorium failed: It did not reduce discretionary spending, it […]
Democrats ditch 10-year-old earmark free...
It is official: Earmarks are returning to Congress. The House Appropriations Committee will sooCon unveil the new process by which individual legislators can direct spending to projects in their home districts. Both parties swore off earmarking a decade ago after each had members get caught in scandals, some going so far as to barter earmarks […]
The return of earmarks: A Q&A on what’s
Various reports indicate that congressional Democrats intend to bring back earmarks. Politico quoted Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) as saying they will return, and that House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro “is working through the details of a reformed process.” This news is not a bolt out of the blue. Last week, an AEI report by Professor […]