Call them what you want...lettermarks, phonemarks, “soft” earmarks, they all do the same thing: direct money to a state or congressional district at the behest of a senator or representative. But some Republicans have been thumping their chests about how they intend to end the villainous earmarks, while continuing to send taxpayer dollars home via other kinds of marks.

 

Senator Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) blasted President Barack Obama and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for appropriating stimulus funds, then turned around and used a lettermark to urge the Department of Education—another frequent target of conservatives—to send more than $1 million to a school district in his state.

 

Other lawmakers have used phonemarks, in which they call an agency to request financing for a project, or soft earmarks, which involve suggesting instead of telling where money should be spent. Writing in The New York Times in 2008, Ron Nixon explained: “How to spot a soft earmark? Easy. The language is that of a respectful suggestion: A committee ‘endorses’ or notes it ‘is aware’ of deserving programs and ‘urges’ or ‘recommends’ that agencies finance them.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Lawmakers Finance Pet Projects Without Earmarks (by Ron Nixon, New York Times)

Using 'Soft Earmarks,' Congress Keeps Pork Projects Thriving (by Ron Nixon, New York Times)