Congress is getting back into the earmark business. Democrats in the House and Senate recently lifted a decade-old ban on the practice. As a result, beginning this year, lawmakers will again be able to direct executive branch officials to prioritize specific projects when they make funding decisions.
Proponents of earmarks predict that lifting the ban will make it easier for Congress to deliberate and legislate. In addition, they claim that earmarks facilitate bargaining between lawmakers and, therefore, help Democrats and Republicans compromise with one another in the current polarized environment. That is why proponents believe that lawmakers can jump-start the long-stalled appropriations process and “return Congress to its role as a functioning body” merely by getting back into the earmark business.
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