Senate GOP opens door to earmarks

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

GOP members of the Senate Appropriations Committee met on Monday evening to discuss what they should do about earmarks with Democrats, led by Appropriations Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who is expected to go resurrect them with or without GOP buy-in.

Top GOP senators said there wasn't a formal group decision. But they think Republicans will land on letting each member make a decision about if they want to request the congressionally directed spending, rather than enforcing a unified caucus-wide stance.

"I think the decision is headed toward letting every member decide if they want to participate in the earmark process," Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of GOP leadership and the powerful Senate panel, told The Hill about the closed-door meeting.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the top Republican senator on the committee, echoed Blunt, saying it would be up to a senator to make a decision on earmarks. He declined to say if he would request earmarks.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-gop-opens-door-to-earmarks/ar-BB1fAgbG?li=BBnb7Kz

[Drunken Irishman]

1. I have no problem with earmarks.

Obviously it depends on how it's done but I thought they were always a great negotiation tactic to get support from wavering senators, especially at getting needed resources to their communities.

No one likes earmarks but each state sure loves the investment that the local senator can brag about getting while in Washington.

[MiniMe]

2. But you know what will happen

The R's will add earmarks to the bills, and the dems will go along with it, and then when a bill comes up with a D earmark, they will not vote for it. That's the way the repigs work.