The federal government gives grants from its discretionary budget for hundreds of specific local projects every year. These “Administrative earmarks” are made through a system that is far less transparent than Congressional earmarking. A Heritage Foundation analysis of grants from agencies during the early years of the Obama administration shows that the districts of moderate Democrats, whose support was so crucial for Obama during the 111th Congress, received large sums right around the passage of three key pieces of legislation: Obamacare, Dodd-Frank financial regulations, and the cap-and-trade bill.
