House Republicans lifted their decade-old ban on earmarks Wednesday during a closed-door vote, freeing up members to request “congressionally directed spending” under the new process Democrats announced last month. The vote ends weeks of internal debate among GOP lawmakers about whether the party should participate in the process that will kick off later this year when the House Appropriations Committee begins drafting fiscal 2022 spending bills. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters that “members want to have a say in their own district” and that many Republicans have “a real concern about the administration directing where money goes.” The House Republican Conference rules change, authored by Alabama’s Mike D. Rogers, includes several elements outlined by Democrats when they announced a restoration of earmarking last month. Under the resolution adopted behind closed doors Wednesday morning, GOP members must publicly disclose their earmark requests when submitted and affirm that neither the lawmaker nor immediate family members have a financial interest in such projects.
