An earmark is funding directed by Congress for a specific program or project. Although earmarks account for less than 2% of the FY 2009 federal government, it is important to note that this is one of the only ways Members of Congress can directly advance budget priorities for their states and districts.

 

The term “earmark” has earned a bad reputation because of the association with controversial provisions that were secretly inserted into legislation during late-night negotiations. But in recent years, Congress has worked to ensure transparency and accountability.

 

If a Member of Congress wishes to support a specific program or initiative – such as an upgrade to a wastewater treatment facility – a written request for funding is submitted to the Committee on Appropriations. If the Committee on Appropriations deems the project worthy of Congressional support, funding can be carved out from – not added to – a specific line within the budget as the bill is being written.

 

Members can also offer an amendment to support the project, or a provision for funding can be added when the House of Representatives and Senate meet to negotiate a final version of the bill.

 

Congress and President Obama have been working to implement new standards that will increase transparency and accountability, and limit the number of earmarks in the budget. An overview of the new and improved standards can be found here.

 

It is my sincere hope that signals a new era of responsibility with public funds, and a commitment to transparency so Americans will be more confident in how their tax dollars are being spent.

 

All earmark funding requests I submit will be made readily available on my website. This information will allow anyone to see who requested funding, how much was requested, the project or purpose of the request, and ultimately, whether the request was successful. This will make it easy to monitor earmarks requested for North Carolina and the First Congressional District, and how exactly we will benefit.

 

Furthermore, once legislation has been passed, all funding requests within that legislation will be listed on a new website - USAspending.gov – along with the name of the requesting Member of Congress. Openly listing all requests and all awards will help increase accountability with your taxpayer dollars, and will allow taxpayers to hold lawmakers who make wasteful requests responsible.

 

There are a number of other proposed earmark process improvements being considered, and I will keep you informed as this issue progress.

 

It is also important to remember that earmark requests are not the only way to acquire federal support for projects. There are a number of grant and loan opportunities available, in addition to funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.