House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., still hasn’t won over conservative Republicans in his quest to be House speaker, but if he wins, he’s likely to continue a policy favored by the right side of his caucus — the ongoing ban on earmarks.
Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, prides himself on having ended the routine practice of loading up spending bills with special line items for various districts across the country. Those earmarks were the grease that allowed many bills slide toward easy passage, but they also cost the nation billions of dollars.
Today, many argue that the end of earmarks is what has made it so hard for Congress to pass any spending bills. For the last few years, Congress has relied mostly on continuing resolutions to fund the government that have by and large kept discretionary spending frozen.
But while the process has changed, Boehner is proud to have ended the practice.
“Much as I despised earmarks … the practice was so pervasive that I never really imagined we could accomplish an earmark ban,” Boehner said in a video he released Friday. “And I can tell you, it’s been one of the best decisions I ever made.’
According to a spokesman for McCarthy, the ban would continue under a McCarthy speakership.
He said that when McCarthy was in charge of the committee to develop the Republican platform in 2008, McCarthy included an earmark ban. The spokesman said McCarthy has “always been a big supporter” of the ban.
That support could help McCarthy shore up the votes he needs next week, when he faces a not completely certain election to be the next speaker.
Many conservatives are worried that McCarthy is already part of the leadership structure that they don’t quite trust. Some of them have been exploring the possibility of having Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, run for speaker, and Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., has already announced he’ll be an alternative candidate.
