Missouri Republican senators are being criticized by labor leaders for refusing to add local projects to the recently passed federal budget bill.
The process, known as Earmark, involves adding millions of dollars to the federal budget to fund various projects back home. The Missouri and Kansas Labor District Councils have defended Earmark, saying it includes highways and other infrastructure projects that often create jobs. But Missouri's junior senator Eric Schmidt said earmarks are one of the main reasons the federal budget remains unbalanced.
“Our debt has reached $35 trillion and is about to reach $40 trillion. Currently, the interest on our debt is $1 trillion a year, which is more than the amount we spend on military spending. And earmarking is a big problem and a big reason why,” Schmidt told Missourinet. “What is being directed is spending on pork barrels, which is above the normal budget, so I am not going to contribute to that.”
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called Earmark a “pet project” used for political gain and said they should be outlawed.
“These people spend hundreds of millions of dollars, billions of dollars, on their own little projects, and they don't think twice about trying to use that money for political maneuvering,” Hawley said. . “If you want support for a program, go through the normal legislative process. This pork barrel spending is being slipped in at the last minute, with no one having a chance to vote individually, and I think that’s wrong.” .”
The Kansas Workers' District Council of Missouri said the latest federal budget proposal includes $468 billion for infrastructure projects, but only $95 million for projects in Missouri.
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