U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced he will be introducing legislation to ban earmarks.
“Earmarks are exactly what’s wrong with Congress—they allow shady back room deals that reward special interests and make lobbyists rich,” Daines stated. “It’s a mistake for Democrats to bring earmarks back – it’s the definition of swampy. Congress must keep them banned.”
Earmarks are a way to direct discretionary funds to specific recipients without going through a merit-based or competitive allocation process.
In 2019, a Republican controlled Senate banned earmarks. Daines announced plans to introduce this legislation after reports that Democrats will bring back this practice now that they are in control of the House and the Senate.