{"id":2331504,"date":"2024-08-27T07:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T11:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-screws-taxpayers-with-500m-in-earmarks\/"},"modified":"2024-08-27T07:25:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T11:25:44","slug":"mcconnell-screws-taxpayers-with-500m-in-earmarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-screws-taxpayers-with-500m-in-earmarks\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell Screws Taxpayers With $500M In Earmarks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmcconnell-screws-taxpayers-with-500m-in-earmarks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2331504&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary discusses Sen. Mitch McConnell&#8217;s tenure as a Republican leader, highlighting his departure from\u2064 conservative \u200cprinciples,\u200d particularly in relation \u2062to fiscal responsibility. Critics argue \u2063that \u200bhe embodies\u2064 the characteristics\u2064 of &#8220;swampy&#8221; deal-making,\u200b having been \u200cinvolved\u200b in unpopular\u200c financial agreements and spending bills that mainstream Americans \u200bdislike. \u2062A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utterly-breathtaking-yahoo-news-reporter-compares-covering-trump-to-fighting-d-day\/\" title=\"\u2018Utterly Breathtaking\u2019: Yahoo News Reporter Compares Covering Trump To Fighting D-Day\">recent article<\/a> from Roll\u2062 Call notes that, as\u200d he prepares to step \u200ddown, McConnell has aggressively returned to earmarking, allocating nearly half a billion dollars for projects \u200din Kentucky\u200c through various fiscal spending bills. The\u200b Senate Appropriations Committee has approved numerous \u2064earmarks, totaling $7.74 billion, and McConnell&#8217;s actions encourage \u200dmore Republicans to seek earmarks,\u200c raising concerns about Washington&#8217;s fiscal discipline. Critics condemn earmarks as \u2062emblematic of government \u200cexcess and a \u200ddriver\u200c of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-paul-blocks-40b-ukraine-aid-package\/\" title=\"Sen. Paul blocks B Ukraine aid package\">increasing national debt<\/a>, \u2064characterizing them as a means \u2063of bribery for\u200c legislative approvals.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Over much of his time as Senate Republican leader, grassroots citizens have realized that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., often stands as the antithesis of conservative policy. From <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/10\/08\/mitch-mcconnells-surrender-in-the-debt-ceiling-fight-opens-the-floodgates-for-dems-3-5-trillion-spending-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bad debt deals<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/10\/with-inflation-at-its-highest-in-decades-congress-works-to-shovel-trillions-more-out-the-door-in-a-craptastic-omnibus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">swampy omnibuses<\/a>, McConnell is generally at the center of the Washington deal-making that ordinary Americans have grown to loathe.<\/p>\n<p>In this vein, most would find the lede paragraph of a recent Roll Call <a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/2024\/08\/19\/departing-gop-leader-dominates-senate-earmark-rankings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a> par for the course:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Unfettered by potential challenges to his position after deciding to step aside, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has returned to the earmarking game with gusto, taking over the top slot in his chamber with almost a half-billion dollars set aside for Kentuckians in the fiscal 2025 spending bills.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Only someone like McConnell could use his impending departure from the leadership ranks to act even more swampy, by obtaining more parochial pork for his state on the taxpayers&rsquo; dime.<\/p>\n<h2>Billions in Pork-Barrel Spending&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>The Roll Call article goes on to note that bills approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee thus far have included 3,686 earmarks totaling $7.74 billion. Unfortunately, that number appears likely to increase, as the committee has only approved eight of the 12 spending bills for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-orders-l-a-to-offer-housing-to-homeless-population-on-skid-row-says-city-and-county-created-a-legacy-of-entrenched-structural-racism\/\" title=\"Judge Orders L.A. To Offer Housing To Homeless Population On Skid Row, Says City And County \u2018Created A Legacy Of Entrenched Structural Racism\u2019\">upcoming fiscal year<\/a> that starts on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n<p>Eight of the top 10 Senate earmarkers are Republicans. Because Democrats have reportedly given Republicans 46 percent of all earmark dollars awarded to date, and because the majority of Senate Republicans do not request earmarks, those Republicans that do participate in the process received larger sums than most Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>That dynamic appears to have encouraged more Senate Republicans to sidle up to the trough and start requesting earmarks. Three Republicans &mdash; Roger Marshall of Kansas, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and Todd Young of Indiana &mdash; requested earmarks for the first time during the fiscal year 2025 process. Combined with McConnell&rsquo;s decision to return to the earmarking game in full flourish with his time as leader coming to an end, the decision does not portend well for the mantle of fiscal responsibility in Washington.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Spending Flip-Flop<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A concise argument against earmarks came in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruz.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/Letters\/3.10.21%20Letter%20Opposing%20Earmarks%5B1%5D.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> sent in March 2021, as Democrats who had regained control of both houses of Congress prepared for a return to &ldquo;congressionally directed spending&rdquo;:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Nothing epitomizes what is wrong with Washington more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kennedy-introduces-bill-to-cut-off-dictators-funds\/\" title=\"Kennedy Introduces Bill To Cut Off Dictators\u2019 Funds\">pork-barrel spending<\/a> in the form of congressional earmarks. &hellip; Earmarks also help enable Washington&rsquo;s spending addiction. They have been used as a quasi-legalized form of bribery to entice Members of Congress to approve large spending practices that increase our deficit and explode the national debt. In an era of trillion-dollar deficits and a $27 trillion debt, it is hard to imagine how we will ever be able to restore any form of financial responsibility if big spenders in the halls of Congress are able to use earmarks to keep spending money we don&rsquo;t have.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nothing of substance has changed in the letter, other than that our annual budget deficits are routinely approaching <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/24\/two-trillion-dollar-deficits-show-washington-has-a-spending-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2 trillion<\/a>, and our national debt has risen from $27 trillion to $35 trillion in less than four years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But one thing has changed about one of that letter&rsquo;s signatories: Then-Rep. and now-Sen. Ted Budd went from loudly opposing earmarks in the spring of 2021, as he was preparing his Senate campaign, to supporting them now. Asked about his flip-flop by Roll Call, his office&rsquo;s response couched his support for earmarks as a way &ldquo;to make sure the men and women at North Carolina&rsquo;s military bases have the resources necessary to keep our nation strong and safe.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That statement dodges the fundamental issue, which is that congressional leaders use earmarks as a &ldquo;gateway drug&rdquo; to get their colleagues to vote for spending that they otherwise would not. At a time when our national debt continues to rise ever higher, perhaps Ted Budd should reacquaint himself with that principle &mdash; and encourage his swampy Senate colleagues to do so as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Jacobs is founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/game-show-judges-assess-players-on-their-unknown-knowledge\/\" title=\"Game Show Judges Assess Players on Their Unknown Knowledge\">policy consulting firm based<\/a> in Washington, and author of the book &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1645720020\">The Case Against Single Payer<\/a>.&#8221; He appeared in the 1995 &#8220;Jeopardy!&#8221; Teen Tournament and is on Twitter: <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/chrisjacobsHC\">@chrisjacobsHC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout much of his tenure as the Senate Republican leader, grassroots activists have come to see Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as a representative of policies that contradict conservative values. From unfavorable debt agreements to questionable omnibus bills, McConnell is frequently involved in the type of political maneuvering in Washington that many everyday Americans despise. This sentiment is reflected in a recent article from Roll Call, which states: <\/p>\n<p>With no imminent challenges to his leadership position after announcing his intention to step down, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has enthusiastically re-entered the earmarking arena, securing nearly half a billion dollars for Kentucky residents in the fiscal 2025 spending proposals.<\/p>\n<p>Only someone like McConnell could leverage his upcoming exit from leadership to engage even more deeply in questionable practices by funneling additional funds for his state at taxpayers&#8217; expense.<\/p>\n<p>The Roll Call piece further highlights that bills passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee so far have included 3,686 earmarks totaling $7.74 billion. Unfortunately, this figure is expected to rise since only eight out of twelve spending bills for the next fiscal year starting on October 1 have been approved.<\/p>\n<p>Among those requesting earmarks, eight out of ten top Senate earmarkers are Republicans. Given that Democrats have reportedly allocated 46 percent of all earmark funds awarded thus far and most Senate Republicans do not request them, those who do tend to receive larger amounts than their Democratic counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>This situation seems to be encouraging more Republican senators to join in and request earmarks; three Republicans\u2014Roger Marshall from Kansas, Ted Budd from North Carolina, and Todd Young from Indiana\u2014have made their first requests during this fiscal year\u2019s process. Coupled with McConnell&#8217;s renewed commitment to securing earmarks as he nears the end of his leadership role suggests troubling implications for fiscal responsibility within Washington.<\/p>\n<p>A succinct critique against earmarks was articulated in a letter sent out in March 2021 when Democrats regained control over both chambers: <\/p>\n<p>Nothing exemplifies what\u2019s wrong with Washington more than pork-barrel spending through congressional earmarks&#8230; Earmarks contribute significantly to Washington&#8217;s addiction to overspending and serve as a quasi-legalized form of bribery designed to persuade Congress members into endorsing large expenditures that inflate our deficit and national debt. In an era marked by trillion-dollar deficits and a $27 trillion debt burden, it\u2019s hard envisioning how we can restore any semblance of financial accountability if Congress continues using earmarks as tools for unchecked spending.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, while nothing substantial has changed regarding these issues\u2014annual budget deficits now routinely approach $2 trillion and national debt has surged from $27 trillion up past $35 trillion within four years\u2014one signatory has notably shifted positions: then-Rep., now-Senator Ted Budd transitioned from vocally opposing earmarks during his Senate campaign preparation back in spring 2021 to supporting them today. When questioned about this change by Roll Call reporters regarding his reversal on ear-marking policy support framed it around ensuring resources are available for military bases crucially located within North Carolina aimed at maintaining national security.<\/p>\n<p>However compelling this rationale may seem on its surface; it sidesteps core concerns surrounding how congressional leaders utilize these allocations as \u201cgateway drugs\u201d enticing colleagues into approving expenditures they might otherwise reject outright amidst rising national debts continuing unabatedly higher still today perhaps prompting Senator Budd should revisit such principles\u2014and encourage fellow senators entrenched within similar swampy practices likewise reconsider their approaches too.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Jacobs is founder\/CEO Juniper Research Group\u2014a policy consulting firm based out D.C.\u2014and author &#8220;The Case Against Single Payer.&#8221; He appeared on &#8220;Jeopardy!&#8221; Teen Tournament (1995) &amp; can be found tweeting @chrisjacobsHC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2331505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/President-Biden-with-Senate-Min-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[9405,39380,5194,5894,8956],"class_list":["post-2331504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-earmarks","tag-governmentspending","tag-mcconnell","tag-politics","tag-taxpayers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/President-Biden-with-Senate-Min-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2331504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2331505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2331504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2331504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2331504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}