One of the things House Republicans are most proud of is banishing earmarks from their bills, including, notably, the current version of an infrastructure and transportation bill, which has traditionally been a veritable stew pot of pork for member’s districts.
But count Representative Don Young of Alaska as a nonfan.
“It’s difficult for me not to have earmarks,” said Mr. Young, to some nervous tittering at a news conference Tuesday outside the Capitol. A large group of House Republicans had gathered to promote their American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that links revenues for proposed new energy projects to new transportation and infrastructure projects.
The bill, which Mr. Young conceded was kind of O.K., “will not be as helpful as it could be” without earmarks. But, he said, it will help address the dismal state of many of American highways and bridges.
Representative John L. Mica of Florida, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, gamely moved on after Mr. Young’s comment, and introduced many other members, many of them freshmen, who praised the bill for its lack of earmarks, among other things.
The bill, a five-year, $260 billion proposal, would also seek to streamline the approval process for federal projects and move authority to approve work away from federal agencies toward state agencies. The 2005 federal transportation bill — the last one passed by Congress — had over 6,300 earmarks.
Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio is a fierce opponent of earmarks, and the bill is one of his priorities for the second session of the 112th Congress, which began this month.
“Instead of more stimulus spending or wasteful earmarks, the bill includes major reforms that will help to clear the way for long-term economic growth,” said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner, “a stark contrast to the meddling, micromanaging and manipulating Washington has done in the past under majorities of both parties.”
While both chambers of Congress banned earmarks last year under pressure from both House Republicans and President Obama, the practice of marking up projects for home has another fan. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said Tuesday he too lamented their elimination and would not support a long-term ban on them.
“I’ve done earmarks all my career, and I’m happy I’ve done earmarks all my career,” Mr. Reid said. “They’ve helped my state and they helped different projects around the country. And I repeat, I will not stand by and be driven down this path that is one that I think is taking us away from what the founding fathers wanted, three separate but equal branches of government. I do not believe that the White House has the authority to tell me how I should spend money in Nevada.”
The Senate is working on its own method to pay for the transportation funding.