Mike Johnson (R-LA) reportedly allocated earmarks to nearly all Democrats in exchange for their support on a $1.2 trillion spending bill, which was approved despite the opposition of most House Republicans. During negotiations with House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on two government funding bills, Johnson agreed to increase earmarks for Democrats’ districts in return for their votes on the spending bill.
Democrats contended that they had not received a fair share of earmarks in the current congressional term. Jeffries emphasized that Democrats would back the spending bill in exchange for a boost in earmarks, as stated by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the leading Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. The earmarks were discreetly included in the Transportation spending bill, with a CNN analysis indicating that earmarks for Democrats rose by $616,279 for nearly every Democratic member compared to the previous committee approval.
CNN reported that the spending bill included earmarks for “virtually every Democratic member for at least one project.” DeLauro informed CNN that Jeffries preferred to keep the victory under wraps.
“There was no need. He [Jeffries] negotiated. He got what we needed to have. That’s it. It doesn’t always have to be a press conference when you get things done. That’s his style,” DeLauro said.
“Nobody at the beginning of this Congress could have imagined all this shit that has happened here, right? But [Jeffries] has navigated a pathway for Democrats that has made us relevant and effective,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the ranking member on the House Rules Committee, said.
“I saw him take the temperature of the caucus, listen a lot to people and ultimately land in a place that not everyone celebrated, but everyone was comfortable with,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) remarked.
