Earmark (politics) Facts for Kids

An earmark is a special instruction added to a government spending bill. It tells the government to spend money on a very specific project or for a particular group. This often means the money goes to a project without having to compete with other projects. Earmarks are common in the United States Congress. They are also used in how many other countries handle their money.

Where the Word "Earmark" Comes From
What Earmarks Are
How Congress Handles Money
Earmarks and Laws
Other Ways Congress Helps Local Projects
Earmarks and Transportation Projects
See also

Where the Word "Earmark" Comes From

The word "earmark" comes from farming. Long ago, farmers would cut the ears of their animals in a special way. This helped them tell their animals apart from others grazing in the same fields. Think of it like a special tag for their own animals. In the same way, an earmark puts a "tag" on money. It makes sure that money goes to a specific project.

What Earmarks Are

Earmarks are like special notes in a big spending plan. These notes say exactly where some money should go. For example, a note might say, "This money must go to build a new bridge in Smithville."

There are two main types of earmarks:

Hard earmarks are written directly into the law. These are legally binding, meaning the government must follow them.
Soft earmarks are found in reports from Congress. These are not legally binding. But, people usually treat them as if they are.

In simple terms, an earmark is when Congress decides to spend money on a project. This project might not have gone through the usual process to get funding. It often helps a specific area or group.

How Congress Handles Money

The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations and the United States House Committee on Appropriations are very important. These committees decide how the U.S. government spends its money. The people on these committees have a lot of power. In 2006, these two committees managed hundreds of billions of dollars. They also set aside tens of billions of dollars for earmarks that year.

Earmarks and Laws

The United States Constitution says that Congress must pass laws before the government can spend any money. Earmarks used to be a regular part of how Congress decided where money went. They helped lawmakers make deals and agree on important laws.

However, the way earmarks work has changed a lot.

Since 2009, members of Congress have had to share all their earmark requests online. They also had to promise they had no personal financial interest in these projects.
In 2010, the House Appropriations Committee stopped earmarks for for-profit companies.
After 2011, Republicans in the House of Representatives put a ban on earmarks. This ban was part of their own rules, not a national law.
In 2011, President Obama also said he would not approve any bill that included earmarks. Congress then put a temporary ban on them.

Some people believe that banning earmarks makes it harder for Congress to agree on new laws.

Other Ways Congress Helps Local Projects

Even without earmarks, members of Congress can still help projects in their home areas. They can work with government officials. They can also use regular funding methods that are based on formulas. This means money is given out based on things like population or need.

Earmarks and Transportation Projects

Before the earmark ban in 2011, members of Congress used earmarks for transportation projects. This meant that local lawmakers, not the United States Department of Transportation, decided which projects got money.

Sometimes, Congress and the Department of Transportation disagreed on what was most important. For example, in 2007, the government spent a lot of money on reducing traffic in only five major cities. This happened because earmarks were not allowed at that time.

Earmark (politics) facts for kids

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