Though earmarks may be out of fashion for today's lawmakers, they still find ways to brag that federal dollars are being steered to their constituents - to the tune of $722 million in the last week alone.
In the midst of a bitter election year with majority control of the Senate in play, Democrats far outstripped Republicans in bragging about new federal contracts and grants being awarded to their districts. Democrats announced $692.1 million in new funding last week alone, compared to $22.5 million announced by Republicans.
It's not clear how much of this 20 to 1 advantage toward Democrats reflects the reality of funding versus a proclivity of Democrats to boast of the funding.
The numbers come from a LegiStorm analysis of more than 1,100 press releases issued by Congress last week. Some 180 releases announced new federal funding for initiatives across the United States and its territories.
Dollars went to fighting violence against women in North Dakota and Montana's booming Bakken region, citizenship education classes in northern California and capital improvements at a college in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) all mentioned grants sent to the Bakken. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) bragged about the citizenship classes and Rep. Kilili Sablan (D-M.P.) named the funding to the islands.
Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) announced the top grant of $191 million to New York City after an application to the FTA Hurricane Sandy Competitive Resilience Program. The money was set to be spent on two new Staten Island ferry boats that could operate during a large-scale evacuation.
The contracts and grants were all provided directly by executive branch agencies. In the past, Congress played a heavier role in such funding decisions, often "earmarking" funds to pet projects. But in 2010, after public outrage about abuses, Congress put a halt to traditional earmarking. Congress still wields influence on the awards of contracts and grants, although it has become more indirect and often behind-the-scenes.
