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As the United States Congress proceeds with Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations, many of your colleagues will once again seek to direct taxpayer dollars to their favorite pet projects through earmarks, one of the swampiest features of policymaking in Washington, D.C.
Under the euphemism of “Community Project Funding,” the FY2024 appropriations package included 8,099 earmarks totaling $14.6 billion. This included funding for abortion centers, transgender indoctrination, radical climate activism, and entities engaged in crass antisemitism.
Historically, conservatives recognized the problem with using earmarks to lure legislators into supporting reckless budget agreements. For good reason, the House Republican Conference prohibited earmarks for more than a decade. In fact, earmarks were so broadly unpopular that President Obama committed to vetoing any bill containing earmarks, and former Speaker Pelosi refrained from reinstating the practice for the first two years of her tenure.
In the 2024 elections, voters delivered a clear mandate to Republicans to overturn a broken status quo, granting them a federal trifecta.
We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to honor this trust by reinstating the earmark ban.
Tim Chapman President Advancing American Freedom John Hart Chief Executive Officer Open the Books Stefan Padfield Executive Director Free Enterprise Project George K. Rasley Jr. Managing Editor ConservativeHQ.com
Kristen A. Ullman President Eagle Forum Savanna Deretich Government Affairs Coordinator Students for Life Action Robert Wilkie Former Secretary of Veteran Affairs Chair, Center for American Security Phil Kerpen President American Commitment
Brain Balfour Senior VP of Research John Locke Foundation Andy Mangione Senior Vice President AMAC Action James Taylor President The Heartland Institute Alfredo Ortiz Chief Executive Officer Job Creators Network Daniel J. Erspamer Chief Executive Officer Pelican Institute for Public Policy Cathy Jo Loy Representative, House District 163 Missouri General Assembly Ann Schockett Past President National Federation of Republican Women JT Olson Founder & President Both Hands
C. Preston Noel III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. Cameron Sholty Executive Director Heartland Impact Jameson Taylor Director Center for Government Renewal Annette Meeks Chief Executive Officer Freedom Foundation of Minnesota Paul Stam Former Speaker Pro Tempore NC House of Representatives Sue Myrick Former Congresswoman – NC09 North Carolina General Assembly Jim Oberweis Founder Oberweis Family of Mutual Funds