• Earmarks allow the U.S. Congress to direct money to be spent on specific projects, either through legislation, known as "hard earmarks," or through committee reports, called called "soft earmarks."

  On March 11, President Barack Obama signed the omnibus spending bill, now totaling a whopping $410 billion. Though a defender of the bill, which will fund the federal government's programs for the remainder of the fiscal year, Obama called it "imperfect," and has proposed an increase in transparency for earmarks to prevent indiscriminate and wasteful spending in future bills.Fox News: Obama Signs 'Imperfect' Spending Bill... (March 11, 2009) One such program would start websites to keep taxpayers informed about projects being funded by the government how much money was being allocated to them.The Swamp: Obama calls for more earmark transparency (March 11, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Term dates to 16th Century England
  2. Originally referred to marks cut into the ears of livestock to mark ownership
  3. House Appropriations Committee receives 35,000 individual spending requests per year
  4. 2005: Senator Ted Stevens earmarks $223 million for controversial Gravina Island Bridge
  5. January 23, 2007: George W. Bush declared his desire to stop earmarking federal spending

• 2009 Spending Bill Controversy

  During its time in the House of Representatives, 9,000 earmarks were added to the omnibus spending bill by both Democrats and Republicans, accounting for 2% of the total cost. Republicans in the Senate led by John McCain had threatened to revise the bill and pass another extension, to allow federal spending to continue until a new bill could be passed.New York Times: Catch-Up Spending Bill Puts Congress Under Pressure (March 2, 2009)Politico: Angry McCain slams Obama (March 2, 2009) The bill eventually passed the Senate by a vote of 62-35.

• Pros and Cons of Earmarks

  The ambiguous ethical and legal status of earmarking in government has caused some problems due its perceived infringement on the executive branch allocation process, but specific definitions have been avoided due to the limitation of congressional power such a ruling would symbolize. There are many opponents of congressional earmarks, most of which argue that federal money should be appropriated on the basis of the need and merit of applicants, as determined by an objective investigation. Supporters of earmarks point out that the practice allows for more specific and targeted allocations of funds and that the process is more democratic when supervised by elected officials as opposed to unelected civil servants.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  U.S. Senate | U.S. House of Representatives | John Murtha | Ted Stevens | John Boehner | David Obey | House Appropriations Committee | Democratic Party | Republican Party | George W. Bush

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