Bringing Back The Pork: Case, Kahele Make Their Pitch For $57 Million…Earmarks were banned in 2011 after a series of scandals involving congressionally directed spending. Now Congress has decided to bring the process back with more transparency.
WASHINGTON — Building a new blood bank, growing fresh coral for Waikiki tourists and expanding the ability of an organic farm in Waianae to process more produce are just a few of the pet projects Hawaii congressmen Ed Case and Kai Kahele hope to secure funding for during this year’s federal budget negotiations.
Friday was the deadline for lawmakers to submit their earmark requests to the House Appropriations Committee, and more than 300 lawmakers on both sides of the aisle obliged to take part in the practice despite its complicated and, some might say, sordid past.
