Last week, the House Republican Conference voted 102-84 to lift their decade-old ban on the practice of earmarks by secret ballot, smoothing the way for a bipartisan resurrection of the practice.
The news follows the Feb. 26, 2021 announcement by House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) that House Members would be able to request funding for specific projects that would benefit their districts during the fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations process. Earmarks, now rebranded as “Community Project Funding” or “CPF,” allow Members of Congress to steer federal spending to benefit specific projects or entities, usually in their home states or districts.