The sources said Republicans in the House of Representatives deliberated on the issue twice this week, and sentiment is growing toward embracing earmarks roughly a decade after the party decided to scrap the long-standing practice amid a raft of high-profile controversies. Democrats who control the House agreed to bring back earmarks this year.
A move to participate in earmarks will draw criticism from the Republican Party’s conservative wing, which has long criticized the practice as wasteful. It may also signal that Republicans are willing to negotiate on President Joe Biden’s next major agenda item: a massive infrastructure package.
Earmarks are considered legislative “sweeteners” that Democrats, who control both houses of Congress, can use to dissuade its members from defecting on major bills and attract votes from Republicans who otherwise would reject the measure.
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