The Oklahoman By Chris Casteel March 8, 2021
After 10 years in exile, congressional earmarks are poised for a comeback, as Democrats prepare to make home state projects a feature of spending bills this year. Republicans have yet to announce whether they will participate in the earmark system, and the party’s decision will determine whether any Oklahoma lawmakers can request money for roads, radars and other projects. Oklahoma Reps. Tom Cole and Frank Lucas, the only House members from Oklahoma who were in Congress when earmarks were last allowed, expressed some ambivalence about their return. They acknowledged the abuses that helped kill the system but said earmarks were a useful tool for lawmakers to exert their constitutional authority over federal spending. Cole, R-Moore, whose past earmarks included money to build an exit off I-35 for the Chickasaw Nation casino in his district and funding for the phased array radar at the University of Oklahoma’s weather center in Norman, said Republicans will have to decide whether Democrats alone will be able to earmark projects for their districts.
View the full article: Oklahoman.com
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