“Earmarks were painted as a coven for corruption, a practice reserved for the funding of needless projects to benefit the friends, supporters and donors of members of Congress. Much of this was hyperbole, as earmarking was only abused by a handful of members in the past,” Hudak told the committee.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer< Md., is one of the leading advocates to reinstate earmarks, with stricter limits and more transparency. He argues the ban didn't stop earmarks, it just transferred spending power from Congress, where it constitutionally belongs, to the executive branch, where it doesn't.
"My belief is that members of Congress elected from 435 districts around the country know, frankly, better than those who may be in Washington what their districts need," he told the House Rules Committee in October.
In the past decade, both parties have attempted and failed to reinstate earmarks primarily due to concerns about how it would play politically.
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