Bus stop equity and artist dens: Inside Congress' spending on 'pet projects'

[rangerrebew]

Bus stop equity and artist dens: Inside Congress' spending on 'pet projects'
"t's so frustrating because the country cannot cannot fathom the spending that both Republicans and Democrats are having," Rep. Ralph Norman laments

‘This is an embarrassment’: Rep. Norman lays out problems with new federal spending bills
Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) says the six bipartisan appropriation bills unveiled by Congressional leaders Sunday are “an embarrassment for the American people.” Rep. Norman says his main issue with the spending bills is the lack of funding to stop the border crisis.


By Ben Whedon
Published: March 5, 2024 11:46pm
 
Racial equity projects for bus stops in California. An expanded LGBTQ center in Philadelphia. An artist den in New York city. Such taxpayer-funded pet projects – known as earmarks – fill the pages of a proposed spending package that Republicans, who have long opposed such provisions, unveiled as part of the compromise plan with Democrats to avert a government shutdown.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week reached an agreement to delay the deadlines to pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the government, while also agreeing on a package of the first six measures.

"We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government. Negotiators have come to an agreement on six bills: Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice and Science, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD," read a joint statement from Schumer, Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/holdhouse-conservative-decries-spending-pet-projects-earmarks-proposed-budget-deal

[rangerrebew]

605 pages of "earmarks" is a nice way of saying 605 pages of bribes.