House Democratic leaders have announced that they will ban the much-criticized practice of using annual spending bills to direct pet projects to for-profit companies that often return the favor with campaign contributions.
The announcement comes as their GOP rivals are weighing giving up so-called earmarks altogether in an election-year appeal to voters frustrated with Washington's free-spending ways.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey says the step will mean 1,000 fewer earmarks. The step comes after the ethics committee investigated seven members of a Pentagon spending panel for rewarding earmarks to companies whose executives and hired lobbyists showered them with campaign cash. The panel found no linkage and absolved the lawmakers.