Earmarks Ban Upsets Some GOP Constituents

The politically popular ban on congressional earmarks will defund projects that don’t resemble the much-ridiculed bequests to the likes of a teapot museum or a frog pond, The New York Times reports. Among the more serious items on the chopping block: funding for a women’s shelter in Salt Lake City, plans to refurbish an Air Force training center in South Dakota, and a program for better tracking of arrest warrants in Brazos County, Texas.

Bill Flores

Some Republican members of Congress who campaigned against earmarks are now getting an earful from some of their disappointed constituents.

But lawmakers say they’re explaining to voters that government spending habits — such as slipping earmarks into non-budget bills — have to change.

“In keeping with my promises,” said Texas Republican Rep. Bill Flores, whose district includes Brazos County, “I will fully support the earmark moratorium to ensure that we focus on balancing the budget and creating a more transparent and accountable process for necessary spending.”