This was excerpted from the February 17 edition of CNN's Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Earmarks were once simply the cost of doing business in Washington. But when bills got laden down with " pork barrel spending ," earmarks got a bad name, and it was good politics for the conservative House majority to outlaw them from 2011. Without backhanders, party leaders struggled to get members to cast tough votes, further cementing an era of gridlock. Now House and Senate Democrats are considering a return of earmarks so members get some credit for sending money home.

Source: CNN February 18, 2021 02:37 UTC