It should surprise no one that the summer in the nation\u2019s capital brings with it stagnant, stultifying heat. Into that scene come House Republicans, who seem insistent on showing why Washington remains a swampy cesspool for all those who value limited government, and not just on hot July days.<\/p>\n

The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call analyzed<\/a> the number of earmarks \u2014 or, to use the politically correct euphemism, \u201ccommunity project funding\u201d \u2014 included in the appropriations bills House Republican leaders have introduced. The breakdown demonstrates the way in which many members of the new House majority have sidled up to the pork-barrel trough, a display that should anger taxpayers upset by the rampant overspending within the federal government<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not Committed to Lowering Spending<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Roll Call piece makes clear that Republicans have little interest in cutting spending on pork projects in their districts. A party that not so long ago banned earmarks in Congress<\/a> now wants to cash in on these parochial projects:<\/p>\n
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House Republicans have so thoroughly stacked the earmarking deck in their favor in appropriations bills for the coming fiscal year that the top Democratic recipient doesn\u2019t even appear in the top 60 among lawmakers in that chamber.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
All told, the appropriations bills released by House leaders include 4,714 earmarks (no, that\u2019s not a typo) totaling over $7.4 billion in federal spending. While Democrats requested nearly two-thirds of the earmarks, they received 38 percent \u2014 that\u2019s \u201conly\u201d $2.8 billion, for those of you following at home \u2014 of the dollars dedicated toward member projects.<\/p>\n
The list of House Republicans receiving earmarks for their districts runs the ideological gamut. Rep. Garrett Graves, R-La., a leadership acolyte of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ranked in the top 25 when it comes to earmarks granted in his district, as did House Freedom Caucus members Andy Harris, R-Md., and Ben Cline, R-Va.<\/p>\n
Give McCarthy credit on one front. He may have cut an incredibly bad deal on the debt limit<\/a> with President Biden this spring, but at least he did not request any projects for his district in California\u2019s Central Valley. On this at least, McCarthy seems willing to walk the talk when it comes to spending restraint, even if he wouldn\u2019t or couldn\u2019t persuade his Republican colleagues to do the same.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Cut the Fat<\/strong><\/h2>\n
In fairness, some might argue that the earmarks included in House Republicans\u2019 spending bills will actually help to lower overall expenditures within the federal government. Because Republicans have an incredibly slender majority and are trying to pass bills that can get 218 House Republican votes (i.e., not have to rely on Democrats for passage), one theory holds that including member-directed projects will help to get overall buy-in for the lower spending levels, easing floor passage of the bills.<\/p>\n
But to paraphrase Chief Justice John Roberts\u2019 axiom regarding racial discrimination, the way for Congress to lower spending is for Congress to \u2026 lower spending. Adding in nearly 5,000 earmarks totaling over $7 billion won\u2019t reduce spending one bit \u2014 it increases it. This type of wasteful federal spending<\/a> also perpetuates inflation at a time when families have been getting kicked in the teeth<\/a> every time they go to the grocery store or fill up their gas tanks.<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s this not-so-hypothetical question. If and when House Republican leaders cave and agree to the higher spending levels in the Senate\u2019s version of the spending bills, what chance do you think that lawmakers will take out the pork-barrel projects that may help \u201cgrease the skids\u201d for the lower overall spending levels to pass the House floor? I\u2019m not holding my breath.<\/p>\n
Skyrocketing Debt<\/strong><\/h2>\n
In response to Democrat complaints that Republicans monopolized earmarks upon regaining the majority, Roll Call noted, \u201cRepublicans argue that\u2019s only fair; Democrats gave themselves roughly the same percentage when they were in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
But it isn\u2019t<\/em> fair \u2014 not to taxpayers, anyway. And certainly not to the next generation of Americans, who already face over $32 trillion in federal debt (and rising). Our nation has enough fiscal problems without spending billions of dollars more on Teapot Museums<\/a> and Bridges to Nowhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n
It demonstrates the power of the D.C. swamp, where politicians put their own reelection and \u201cbringing home the bacon\u201d over protecting the country\u2019s fiscal integrity. So the next time a Republican lawmaker tries to tell you that Washington is taking real steps to control reckless federal spending, remind him or her that there are 4,714 reasons to believe otherwise.<\/p>\n
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