Over much of his time as Senate Republican leader, grassroots citizens have realized that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., often stands as the antithesis of conservative policy. From bad debt deals to swampy omnibuses, McConnell is generally at the center of the Washington deal-making that ordinary Americans have grown to loathe.
In this vein, most would find the lede paragraph of a recent Roll Call article par for the course:
Unfettered by potential challenges to his position after deciding to step aside, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has returned to the earmarking game with gusto, taking over the top slot in his chamber with almost a half-billion dollars set aside for Kentuckians in the fiscal 2025 spending bills.
Only someone like McConnell could use his impending departure from the leadership ranks to act even more swampy, by obtaining more parochial pork for his state on the taxpayers’ dime.
Billions in Pork-Barrel Spending
The Roll Call article goes on to note that bills approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee thus far have included 3,686 earmarks totaling $7.74 billion. Unfortunately, that number appears likely to increase, as the committee has only approved eight of the 12 spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1.
Eight of the top 10 Senate earmarkers are Republicans. Because Democrats have reportedly given Republicans 46 percent of all earmark dollars awarded to date, and because the majority of Senate Republicans do not request earmarks, those Republicans that do participate in the process
