Earmarks are back, and the House is providing an online link to details about the hundreds of projects for which members are requesting federal funding.
Why it matters: It's been more than a decade since representatives could carve out funding for pork-barrel projects. The two House committees overseeing the revamped process are trying to avoid ethical hangups by disclosing who's requesting money — and for what.
What's new: One of those two panels, the House Appropriations Committee, set up a page last week where the public can browse "community project funding" requests by members.
- The committee plans to release a comprehensive dataset this week compiling all of those requests in a more navigable format.
Between the lines: Unlike earmarks of the past, these are not available to for-profit entities. Instead, they're going to local governments, community organizations and nonprofits. The types of projects run the gamut.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) requested $3 million for an environmental resilience study for San Francisco's Embarcadero waterfront.
- Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) wants $50 million for a "global logistics park" in his district.
- D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, is asking for $3 million to help fund a new park and pedestrian bridge over the Anacostia River.
You can browse the full list here.