Earmarks have been banned for the last decade (thanks in large part to the late Senator Tom Coburn), but this year, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle voted to bring them back.
Earmarks, pork barrel projects, or "member-directed spending" allow our elected officials in D.C. to use taxpayer money to fund pet projects in their home districts. The practice has been used and abused throughout the history of our country as elected officials use taxpayer dollars from across the country to give handouts to their friends, donors, and preferred special interests.
Our friends at Open the Books took a deep dive into how Congress is using their earmark power to spend our money, and what they found... well... see for yourself.
A $1.5 million earmark requested by Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) will likely include gender reassignment surgery. Here's what the request says:
“This funding will be used for the Montefiore Nyack Hospital to construct a new Outpatient Diagnostic and Treatment Facility at the Rockland County Pride Center and/or expand the Pride Center’s Outpatient Diagnostic and Treatment Facility. There are not enough local healthcare providers in Rockland County who provide the full spectrum of health and wellness needs for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) patients…approximately 24% of LGBTQ+ people travel outside of Rockland County for primary and specialty medical care that is safe and affirming for them as LGBTQ+ people…”
Democrats got in their Green New Deal earmarks, including $20 million in electric vehicle charging stations.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is asking for $795,000 to fund "offshore wind workforce development" at the State University of New York Maritime College. From the college's website: "Recognizing the growth in the offshore renewable energy sector, Maritime College established the Center of Excellence for Offshore Energy to focus on building a clean energy workforce and encouraging research in this growing area."
Other earmarks included millions of dollars for “battery buses” in Illinois ($3.5 million); Honolulu, HI ($3.7 million); Atlantic City, NJ ($1.5 million); Michigan ($2.4 million) and many other places.
Here are a few more ways your money is being spent:
- a $5,000 earmark to purchase “Santa gifts” for seniors in Beech Grove (Rep. Andre Carson D-IN);
- $250,000 to expand the Michelle Obama Library (Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan D-CA);
- $300,000 for a new dog park in Montebello (Rep. Linda Sanchez D-CA);
- $500,000 for the Trenton Artwork Project – murals along a pedestrian and bike path (Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman D-NJ);
- $1.2 million for the “Canandaigua Trolley” (Rep. Chris Jacobs R-NY);
- $3.5 million to build “fish market(s)” in St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands (Del. Stacey Plaskett D-VI);
- $7.7 million for the Tampa Street Car project (Rep. Kathy Castor D-FL);
- $18.6 million to rebuild the fire station in Kodiak, Alaska (Rep. Don Young R-AL).
Some might argue that these expenses are just a drop in the federal budget. When Congress spends $2 trillion on COVID-19 "relief," it's hard to feel upset about a measly $10 billion.
But anyone who has managed a household budget knows the fallacy of that argument. Small expenses are small until they begin to add up. A household won't be financially secure until its leaders stop spending money on frivolous things and learn responsibility.
Our members of Congress never learned that lesson, apparently. They're happy to continue spending our country into the ground if it helps their reelection chances, and they don't care what We the People think about it.
It's time to force Congress to be fiscally responsible. They'll never make that decision on their own, but an Article V Convention of States can do it for them.
The states call and control a Convention of States. At this Convention, state delegations can propose constitutional amendments that limit federal power, mandate term limits for federal officials, and impose a complete package of fiscal amendments that force Washington to spend our money wisely.
These amendments can include a balanced budget amendment, tax caps, and spending limitations, among others. With a budget to balance and spending to limit, our elected officials will have no choice but to reject earmark spending, cut waste, and get our nation back on a firm financial footing.
Over 5 million Americans have joined the movement, and over 2 million have signed the Convention of States Petition. To add your name to the list, sign below!
