Earmarks are back-House Democrats pass earmark-packed $600B spending bundle

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Earmarks are back Earmarks have been banned for several years and now they are back

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House Democrats passed a $600 billion spending package Thursday in their bid to fund the government, approving millions of dollars in bipartisan pet projects after a decade-long ban on earmarks.

The seven-bill “minibus,” which passed in a 219-208 vote, would increase budgets at the departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Transportation and more. The House also passed two bills Wednesday night that would provide about $67 billion for the State Department, foreign aid programs and the Legislative Branch, largely along party lines.

Congress is no closer to a bipartisan funding deal that would stave off a government shutdown in two months, however, despite House passage this week of nine out of the 12 annual spending bills.

“Nobody thinks we’re going to do anything until after Sept. 30," said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the top Republican in charge of the Labor-HHS-Education bill that provides the largest share of non-defense spending.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Here are some of the earmarks that I saw on twitter

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[greenjar_01]

2. Good! Anti-earmark arguments were right wing bullshit

[Freddie]

3. If that's what it takes to get things done

I’m all for it.