(TheRedWire.com) – After Obamacare became law in 2010, the Tea Party rose up in response to out-of-control government spending and waste. One of its lasting legacies was the eradication of pork spending known as “earmarks.” If you live in a congressional district that needs a bridge to nowhere. In that case, your Congressman could attach a provision to any piece of legislation to hide from scrutiny while also bringing home the benefit to constituents.
Earmarks incentivized rewards to pay back donors and special interests and ensured Congress members needn’t worry about money for the next election and some members of Congress just voted to bring earmarks back. The vote happened just as Democrats were preparing to allow earmarks in an upcoming legislation.
Conservatives say that congressional Democrats’ bid to revive legislative earmarks must be fought. Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C. believes “If Democrats want to refill the D.C. swamp with porkbarrel earmarks, then Republicans need to draw a clear line in the sand and oppose them 100%.”
Bringing back pork-barrel earmarks would be a grave mistake for Congress and future generations of taxpayers.@SenTedCruz & I led 10 Senators and 25 House members to tell Congress: #NoEarmarks. pic.twitter.com/SmaCqcPJUK
— Congressman Ted Budd (@RepTedBudd) March 10, 2021
No one knows who voted for or against the bill. The vote was taken via secret ballot, meaning voters can’t hold their representatives accountable. Wouldn’t it be interesting, come election season, if suddenly more Congress members said they voted against earmarks than the actual vote total indicated?
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