Bring Back Earmarks

I am not talking about ear piercings; it is about legislation and the power of the purse of Congressional committee chairpersons.

The supplemental reward for Congressional committee chairpersons was the ability to add earmarks to bills that would direct funding to specific programs executed in their districts and other favorable representatives' districts. The legislated work was legitimate, serving particular needs while rewarding the Chairperson's district with a share of the work and financial benefit. 

Having taken earmarks, aka supplementals and plus-ups, away from the Chair, there is no way for the Chair to bring home the bacon. 

"A committee chair serves as the committee leader, with responsibility for setting the course and direction of the panel for committee members and the House and for managing an extensive professional and paraprofessional staff. The senior committee staff should ensure the Chair's goals are carried out effectively.

Once a committee chair is selected during the postelection transition period, they, often in consultation with others, make a series of decisions and take a series of actions. Some actions complete a committee's duties in Congress just ending. Other actions are taken in anticipation of the new Congress and then in the new Congress. Decisions may be related to the committee's policy calendar; the committee's administrative functions; the Chair's responsibilities during committee sessions; the role of committee members; the relationship with the committee's ranking minority member, other chairs, and party leaders; subcommittee leaders; and other subjects. Many decisions are made with a deadline imposed by House rules.

Precisely, a committee chair controls the selection of committee staff, authorizes expenditures from the committee budget, establishes operational and ethics policies, determines committee travel allocations, decides the content of the committee website, and is responsible for the administration of the committee's rooms, paperwork, and other operations. Most committees entrust the drafting of the budget to the committee chair, although a committee's minority party members seek to ensure that they receive an appropriate allocation of resources. Before the Chair introduces a funding resolution, the committee approves the Chair's draft budget."

https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL34679.html

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