EARMARKS, LIKE WE'VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent

For those who love the full data set, who want to see the entire text of the bill and who want to know precisely what Congress is doing, it has been a fantastic week.

For the first time in modern history, the House Appropriations Committee has made public every earmark request by each member of the chamber. This is happening as Democrats in both chambers of Congress are turning the earmarking process back on after a decade-long freeze. 

House Democrats are calling these funding requests “community project funding,” but outside of hearing rooms, most folks are still using the term “earmark.” 

As part of that effort, Democrats are also trying to remake the image of one of Washington’s most infamous legislative devices. To prevent boondoggles, and stories of boondoggles, House Democrats have laid out new rules, including:
 

• Each member must post a list of their requests on their House office website.
• They must sign a statement pledging that neither they, nor anyone in their family, stands to benefit from the proposed project. This expands current rules, which say that members and their spouses should not benefit.
• Projects cannot directly benefit for-profit companies. 
• Each member can request a maximum of 10 projects, but can opt to request fewer, or none.
• Members must show that there is community interest in and support for their proposals. That could include local newspaper stories or local government resolutions. 

Now let’s get to the good part: what our nation’s lawmakers would like the federal government to do in their districts.

The full list of earmark requests is here. We happily turned this into a spreadsheet to take a look at who so far is requesting the revived earmarks.  Here’s what we found:
 

• 327 of the 436 members of the House are requesting earmarks. (This number includes non-voting delegates and resident commissioners and excludes seats currently vacant.) 
• Every House Democrat but one is requesting earmarks. The lone holdout is Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who openly opposes the idea. She sees it as an inefficient process and conducive to corruption. 
• 106 Republicans are requesting earmarks, just short of 50 percent of the Republican conference. Another 109 Republicans have not requested any earmarks. (I plan on tweeting out these lists by the end of today. I’m at @LisaDNews.) This is notable because the House Republican Conference held a secret-ballot vote in March in which a majority voted to end the earmark ban.  

What are members requesting? You can look up each member here. And we put together a short list of proposals we saw that represent typical or interesting projects:
 

• In the Sunshine State, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., is requesting money to help with large water projects, including one to replace contaminated wells and another to fix a wastewater treatment plant in Everglades City.
• Farther east, Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, is proposing projects that would reconstruct docks, renovate one fish market and build another.  
• Just outside of Washington, D.C., in Northern Virginia, Rep. Gerry Connelly, D-Va., is requesting money to establish “the Virginia Climate Crisis Center” as well as funding for affordable housing and jobs training.
• On the southwestern border, Rep. Henry Cueller, D-Texas, is requesting help to build a new fire station for the city of La Joya, which was previously in a rural area but is seeing rapid growth now. He’s also asking for funding to renovate a suspension bridge,alleviate flooding and restore a historic courthouse.
• In St. Louis, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., is requesting funds for a new community health center, a mobile health clinic and a program that helps find housing for homeless people who come to emergency rooms in search of shelter. 
• In Omaha, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., would like to fund a violence intervention program, a park, and a pedestrian and bicycle safety zone.
• On the West Coast, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wa., is asking for funding for several water projects, to build a road that could open up more industrial development and for rapid DNA testing technology for a sheriff’s department.
• Down the coast, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is requesting funding for a food bank storage facility, a veterans community center and a new playground and recreation center. She has also asked for money to help with mental health and substance abuse resources for the HIV/AIDs community.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Lisa Desjardins

GOP works to override voters on Medicaid, higher wages and pot - April 27. Several Republican state legislatures are moving forward with bills that would reverse or block measures on Medicaid, the minimum wage and marijuana that voters approved in statewide ballot initiatives. Why it matters: The maneuvers raise new layers of conflict within state governments and between legislators and their constituents, and the decisions could not only affect health care and other issues important to millions of Americans, but make it harder for voters to have a say through future ballot initiatives. -- Stateline

White farmers sue seeking government loan forgiveness - May 2. Farmers from a handful of midwestern states are suing the Department of Agriculture, alleging that the COVID-19 loan forgiveness program that is limited to people of color is a form of racial discrimination against whites. Why it matters: The lawsuit tests a significant Democratic approach to racial equity and could signal where courts stand on new concepts of diversity. -- Associated Press

What you need to know about sexual harassment at the Texas state capitol - May 3. Following the allegation that a lobbyist put a drug in a female staffer’s drink, an investigation by the Austin American-Statesman uncovered a culture of sexual harassment and pressure to stay silent at the Texas state capitol. Why it matters: State capitals around the country have seen increased reporting and attention on sexual scandals, including allegations of rape and harassment, by powerful men. The Austin story adds another layer to this reporting: a look at the culture of harassment. -- Austin American-Statesmen

Vermont becomes first state to allow women to enlist for combat in its national guard - April 30. The Green Mountain State will now allow women to sign up for combat roles in its national guard. Why it matters: Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin has named diversity a key goal essential to military readiness but this story highlights the ways in which the Pentagon hasn’t yet evolved in regard to gender lines. -- The Hill

The slow, painful death of Trump’s allies’ voting machine conspiracy theories - May 3. Some Trump supporters who argued passionately that voting machines were rigged in the 2020 election are now backing off such claims, as companies and others take them to court. Why it matters: Former President Donald Trump continues to put out statements questioning the 2020 election results, without giving any evidence of fraud. The reversal by some of his key allies undermines his continued efforts and bolsters the long-done certification of the election. -- Washington Post 



#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Emily Knapp, @emilyroseknapp
Senior politics editor

Question: On this day in 1776, which American colony became the first to declare its independence from England and King George III? (Hint: It’s the “calamari comeback” state.)

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Which president started the tradition of not calling the first joint address a “State of the Union” address?

The answer: Ronald Reagan

Congratulations to our winner: Joanne Martin!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.