Trump endorses return of earmarks as House GOP weighs change

By ANDREW TAYLOR
16 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has waded into a brewing controversy in the House and endorsed the return of so-called earmarks — pet projects and spending items added to appropriations bills on behalf of individual lawmakers.

“Our system lends itself to not getting things done, and I hear so much about earmarks — the old earmark system — how there was a great friendliness when you had earmarks,” Trump told a group of lawmakers at Tuesday’s White House meeting on immigration. “But of course, they had other problems with earmarks. But maybe all of you should start thinking about going back to a form of earmarks.”

Trump’s remarks came as House Republicans are weighing a change to their rules to permit a limited return of earmarks, though with a new set of restrictions and reforms to limit the potential for abuse.

Earmarks send taxpayer dollars to projects in lawmakers’ districts outside the competitive process required for other federal spending.

House Republicans banned earmarks when they retook the House in 2011. Top Republicans, led by then-Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, argued that they corrupted lawmakers and caused them to support bad legislation simply to shovel taxpayer money back home. It was common, for instance, to solicit campaign donations from those who received the earmarks, as well as the lobbyists who advocated for them.

-snip-