Heritage Action supports Senator Lee's amendment to remove all earmarks from H.R. 7148, the FY26 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The vote on this amendment to H.R. 7148 will be included as a Key Vote on our Legislative Scorecard.
Heritage Action has long opposed the inclusion of earmarks in appropriations bills. Earmarks represent the worst of corrupt Washington horse trading, which is why Republicans banned earmarks in 2019.
Last year, Heritage Action highlighted some of the worst earmarks in this year’s Labor-HHS bill alone, including:
- Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) requested a $2 million earmark for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego for “pediatric mental health services.” This hospital has conducted sex-rejecting procedures on at least 136 patients.
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) requested a $460,000 earmark for Elliot Health System. Elliot Health performs “gender affirming top surgery.”
- Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) requested a $3 million earmark for Hennepin Health for new equipment. Hennepin Health runs a pediatric gender and sexual health clinic.
- Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) requested a $200,000 earmark for Rhode Island Hospital, which performs “transmasculine surgeries.”
Taxpayer funding should not be given to entities that engage in practices many Americans find morally reprehensible. Beyond this list is the myriad of bad earmarks in the rest of the appropriations bill, including a $500,000 earmark from Chuck Schumer for a center that provides legal assistance and job placement services to illegal immigrants.
In demanding earmarks of their own, Republicans have opened the door to Democrats to direct taxpayer funds to entities engaged in practices that most GOP voters find abhorrent. Voters elected Republican majorities in Congress to end this. If adopted, Senator Lee’s amendment would save $5.2 billion.
Heritage Action supports Senator Lee's amendment to remove all earmarks from H.R. 7148, the FY26 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The vote on this amendment to H.R. 7148 will be included as a Key Vote on our Legislative Scorecard.