Lawmakers Want Projects Funded — But Don’t Call Them Earmarks

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: There won’t be a single “earmark” in the massive stimulus bill now in the works on Capitol Hill. But that doesn’t mean individual lawmakers won’t have a say in how the money gets spent.

House members and senators are exploring options that would allow them to claim at least indirect credit for projects that are funded under the spending bill being pushed by President-elect Barack Obama.

In addition, several say they are making plans to help cities and towns in their districts get in line for the funds that are allocated to their home states — with an eye, surely, on future ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Instead of sending checks directly to states — giving governors complete discretion over where to spend the cash bounty — Democratic lawmakers say they want stimulus dollars funneled directly into existing federal programs, which have set formulas for distribution.

This also has the benefit of making it easier for lawmakers to claim credit for individual projects, notwithstanding the president-elect’s promise that no earmarks will be permitted in the bill.

“Members of Congress who were elected to represent their districts are rightly concerned that the money would be delivered where it’s needed,” said Katie Greco, a spokeswoman for House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., who is leading the effort to include funding formulas in the bill.

For example, House Democrats say they want any sum approved for infrastructure investments to be distributed based on the federal highway formula, which disperses gas tax revenue according to factors such as population density and traffic volume.

The effort to steer the stimulus money reflects a tension that’s inherent in Obama’s push to get money approved quickly without pet projects that could be derided as unnecessary spending.

While “earmarking” is a widely mocked practice — with opponents citing high-profile examples such as the “bridge to nowhere” in Alaska — many rank-and-file lawmakers love it.

They argue that they know better than bureaucrats in Washington or state capitals which projects need urgent attention in their districts.

“I actually think earmarks are a good thing,” said Rep. Mike Capuano, D-Mass., a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Absent that, it’s an earmark just for the president, just for the governor. Someone has to decide where to spend the money, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what my district needs.”

This sentiment dovetails with concerns among rural lawmakers that money will be disproportionately spent in urban areas.

“Rural communities have the workforce and the infrastructure needs to effectively utilize new federal spending. Rural areas should be provided with an equitable share of economic stimulus funds to improve their local economies just like metropolitan communities,” a group of more than 30 House members from rural areas wrote in a letter Friday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

House leaders draw a sharp distinction between funding programs via formulas and putting money in line directly for specific projects.

“There are no earmarks in this bill. There are no specifically directed congressional initiatives in this bill,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Wednesday. “It will be expended through the regular order of legislative authority.”

The stimulus is likely to include safeguards to ensure that only projects that have already been reviewed by state authorities end up getting money, and that funds flow only to construction projects that will begin quickly.

At least in this instance, members say they’re willing to follow Obama’s lead on earmarks.

“We are going to ban all earmarks, the process by which individual members insert pet projects without review,” Obama said last week with regard to the stimulus bill.

Given such statements, and widespread recognition of the urgency of fast spending, “we really cannot be directing money to our congressional districts,” said Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va.

But Moran said he is organizing meetings with local officials from his district, to let them know how to get some of the money allocated for his state.

“If they’re not prepared, that’s going to be their fault,” he said.