Return of the congressional earmark zombie
Much like a Hollywood movie monster franchise, earmarks are back in the federal government. Congress’s $1.5 trillion omnibus bill contains pages upon pages of so-called “member-directed spending” for hundreds of pet projects in congressional districts across the country. Senator Mike Braun put the final earmark count at $8 billion, taking up 367 pages of the 2,700-page bill that funds the government through the end of the fiscal year. Congress banned earmarks in 2011 thanks to a rather rare show of bipartisanship by House Republicans and then-President Barack Obama. Congressional bipartisanship then unanimously brought back earmarks last year.
