Why 12 states got none

Also, where to find the SBA earmarks?

      For decades, members of Congress won applause for “bringing home the bacon” for their districts by inserting direct funding for local community projects into large spending bills.

      But, as budgets swelled, the practice was criticized as “pork barrel spending.” That resulted in Congress imposing a 10-year ban on earmarks that started in 2011.

      The ban expired last year, and earmarks are back--and growing fast. The Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal 2023 includes $15 billion in earmarks, up from $9 billion in last year’s appropriations bill, the New York Times reported.

Why 12 states got no SBA earmarks

      There were 12 states--IA, ID, IN, KS, MO, MT, ND, NE, SC, SD, UT and WY--that did not receive SBA earmarks in the fiscal 2023 spending bill. The lawmakers in those states either did not request SBA earmarks, or requested them and were denied by leadership in their party.

      Lawmakers in those states most likely obtained other types of earmarks--such as for housing, health, transport, etc.--rather than SBA earmarks.

      The practice of earmarks has limited transparency as there is little to no public debate in Congress on the topic. Distribution appears to be mostly based on the seniority of the members. Both Republicans and Democrats engage in the practice; some inserting earmarks in a bill even while voting against the bill.

      Lawmakers are required to post their earmark requests on their websites and to certify that funds do not directly benefit their families. House and Senate leaders said the earmarks serve a worthy purpose and would be kept below 1% of the total budget.

Where to find the earmarks?

      The SBA earmarks are listed twice: starting on page 8,493 and also page 8,510 in a Joint Explanatory Statement in the Congressional Record. (See link below.)

      The earmarks are listed in the alphabetical order of the names of the requesting lawmakers. There are scattered requests from multiple lawmakers.

Next issue Part II: Which states and lawmakers got the most SBA earmarks?

More Information:
New York Times report: https://nyti.ms/3jYrPLK
Joint Explanatory Statement: https://bit.ly/3GOW29c

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Why 12 states got none

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