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Sen. Reid Calls Earmarks an 'Obligation'

(Nov. 17) -- As Senate Republicans moved to enact a two-year moratorium on earmarks this week, dissent roiled the ranks of Democrats and Republicans over the practice that allows individual lawmakers to designate federal funds for specific projects, usually in their states. Although Senate Republicans have vowed to halt...

McConnell Flip-Flops on Earmarks, But Does It Really Matter?

(Nov. 16) -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reversed himself Monday and endorsed a moratorium on earmarks, the sly legislative devices by which members of Congress direct federal funds to their pet projects. South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint joined other GOP tea partiers in pressuring McConnell, who has steered about...

Opinion: What's So Bad About Earmarks?

(Nov. 16) -- Few words are dirtier in Washington than "earmark." Soon-to-be House Speaker John Boehner has vowed to ban them. President Barack Obama has called for earmark reform. The chairmen of the president's debt commission say the practice should be eliminated. And on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,...

As Deficit Fight Looms, Obama Eyes Earmarks

(Nov. 13) -- Get ready to hear a lot more about earmarks, those generally unvetted and under-the-radar additions to spending bills used by members of Congress to bring federal dollars home to their constituents. They were a target of both President Barack Obama and his opponent, Republican Sen. John McCain, in the 2008...