Potential changes in control of one or both chambers in the midterm elections could put the practice of earmarking federal funds for local projects on the chopping block in the next Congress.
The last time Republicans recaptured the House, after the 2010 midterms, party leaders banned earmarks amid the anti-spending, tea party-fueled sentiment of the time.
“Earmarks are a symbol of a broken Washington and emblematic of the culture of spending that has dominated Washington for far too long and must be reversed,” then-House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., said prior to that year’s elections.
Sensing that the political winds had shifted against earmarks, Senate Democrats in control of the chamber back then went along with the ban, which took effect in 2011. But there’s no indication that today’s Senate Democrats would feel the same pressure if they retain their majority, even if Republicans retake the House as many predict.
And unlike a dozen years ago, Republicans are not nearly as unified on the issue. While anti-earmark sentiment was palpable in the 2010 campaign, it hasn’t emerged as a 2022 midterms issue. And since Democrats revived earmarks last year, their popularity has actually increased among House Republicans, with a clear majority of the GOP conference requesting projects in fiscal 2023 spending bills.