Democrats Plan Return to Earmarks to Ease Way on Votes
- Practice banned for nearly a decade after abuse by lawmakers
- Lawmakers would be able to add local projects to legislation
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House Democrats are planning a big change next year to the way Congress spends taxpayer money by allowing individual lawmakers to insert pet projects into bills for the first time since Congress banned the practice in 2011.
Democratic leaders are betting that reintroducing earmarks will help secure votes needed to pass major parts of President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda and protect their House majority in 2022. The practice would be a powerful tool for rounding up support, especially on an infrastructure package that would spread federal dollars across the country, Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio said.