Senate Republicans voted on Thursday to permanently ban the practice of including earmarks — money directed by lawmakers into pet projects — in government funding bills.
GOP senators decided to enact the permanent ban during a closed-door caucus meeting, with aides saying the issue had been under discussion among Republicans for months.
Congress first banned earmarks in 2011, after Republicans took back the House in 2010. But that moratorium expired in January, with the start of the 116th Congress, meaning lawmakers could have tried to insert earmarks into fiscal 2020 government funding bills.
Fiscal conservatives, who have blasted earmarks as “pork-barrel spending,” praised the decision.
Sen. Ben SasseBenjamin (Ben) Eric SasseThe Hill’s Morning Report – White House, Congress: Urgency of now around budget Senate Republicans running away from Alabama abortion law Hillicon Valley: Trump signs order to protect US networks from Chinese tech | Huawei downplays order | Trump declines to join effort against online extremism | Facebook restricts livestreaming | FCC proposes new tool against robocalls MORE (R-Neb.), who spearheaded the effort, called earmarks a “crummy way to govern.”
“Backroom deals, kickbacks, and earmarks feed a culture of constant incumbency and that’s poisonous to healthy self-government,” Sasse said in a statement.
Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzJim Carrey fires back at ‘Joe McCarthy wanna-be’ Cruz Hillicon Valley: Google delays cutting off Huawei | GOP senators split over breaking up big tech | Report finds DNC lagging behind RNC on cybersecurity GOP senators split over antitrust remedies for big tech MORE (R-Texas) added that Republicans took “an important step in restoring fiscal sanity by adopting a permanent earmark ban.”
Earmarks skyrocketed into the national spotlight during the George W. Bush administration when both then-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and then-Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) went to jail for earmark-related bribes.
The decision for Senate Republicans to amend their caucus rules to include a permanent earmarks ban comes after House Republicans flirted with lifting the earmarks ban late last year, before ultimately backing down.
President TrumpDonald John TrumpFeinstein, Iranian foreign minister had dinner amid tensions: report The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump says no legislation until Dems end probes Harris readies a Phase 2 as she seeks to rejuvenate campaign MORE at the time encouraged the return to earmarks.
“I hear so much about earmarks,” he said, “… and how there was a great friendliness when you had earmarks.”