Earmarks the Spot
Critical Analysis
Democrats and Republicans alike stuffed nearly 5,000 earmarks totaling $9 billion into the $1.5 trillion government spending bill signed by President Biden that was enacted in March of this year. An earmark (also known as pork or pork barrel spending) is congressional funding for a specific local project, or “spending with a zip code.” Earmarks go for police stations, and museums, scientific studies, and all kinds of local projects. List one example of an actual earmark either in your community or elsewhere from the 2022 spending bill.
According to the data from the visual above, how much did Democrats spend on earmarks in the gigantic 2022 spending bill?
According to the data from the visual above, how much did Republicans spend on earmarks?
Why did Democrats secure more earmark spending than Republicans?
Congress had removed earmarks from federal budgets since 2011, when, following a series of scandals related to earmarks and amid a wave of anti-spending fervor fueled by the Tea Party, lawmakers imposed a pork-barrel moratorium. Why did Congress bring back earmarks in the 2022 spending bill?
List one thing that is bad about earmarks and one thing that is good about them.
Imagine you are a representative. You know that earmarks are called “pork” and are seen in a very negative light. At the same time, you also know that you would like to bring spending back to your state or district. And that if you don’t, someone else will. Explain whether, in general, you would try to get earmarks for your constituents.
What member of Congress received the most earmarked money*?
What state got the most earmarked money per capita*?
Explain which of the following is the most egregious example of earmark spending:
The National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas; the Eternal Gandhi Museum in Houston; the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Mo.; $569,000 for the removal of derelict lobster pots in Connecticut; $500,000 for horse management in Nevada; $4.2 million for improvements to the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Idaho; $1.6 million for equitable growth of the shellfish aquaculture industry in Rhode Island.
Action Extension
At the end of the article, As Earmarks Return to Congress, Lawmakers Rush to Steer Money Home, there are charts of earmark spending from members of the House and the Senate. Look up your Congresspeople and find out what kind of pork they have been cooking up. Contact your Congressperson and tell them what you think about their earmarks.
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Learning Extension
Watch this Vice News video explaining earmarks. And check out the New York Times article, As Earmarks Return to Congress, Lawmakers Rush to Steer Money Home, for some super-cool charts and graphs of 2022 earmark spending. Here is a pdf of every earmark from the 2022 spending bill.
