Democrats Want To Bring Earmarks Back As Way To Break Gridlock In Congress
Top House Democrats want to revive the spending practice that allows members to request money for specific projects. It has been effectively banned since 2011.
When earmarks were a regular feature of congressional business, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said Democrats and Republicans were able to cut more deals and pass more bills with bipartisan support.
"This used to be time where everybody was 'Hallelujah,' I mean Republicans, Democrats, dancing, kissing. This is the time to be saved," he recalled at a congressional hearing earlier this year in regards to legislation like the highway bill.
