House Democrats won't restore 'earmarks'

[corbe]

House Democrats won't restore 'earmarks'

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press
 
1 hr ago
 
WASHINGTON — Democrats controlling the House have announced that they won't restore the much-criticized practice of "earmarking" federal funds for back-home projects that Republicans banned eight years ago.
 
House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey — who wants to restore the practice — announced the decision in a letter to her colleagues, saying there isn't a "bipartisan, bicameral agreement" to bring earmarks back.

Earmarks used to include grants for community development projects, roads, university grants, and help for home-district military contractors, among others. But critics thought too many projects went to a handful of powerful lawmakers and fostered a "pay to play" culture in which campaign contributions were often solicited from lobbyists and others who sought earmarks.

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http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-democrats-wont-restore-earmarks/ar-BBUguY8?ocid=ientp

[edpc]

Good. It was a terrible idea, in the first place. We got crap legislation and a ton of debt, because deals were made to support each other’s pork projects.