House lawmakers under Democratic leadership are embracing earmarks to dump millions into district projects lobbied for by members.
Among the winners in the earmark nominations include a proposal from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi herself, requesting $1 million for the “Courage Museum” in San Francisco.
Under the project name, “Educational Curriculum for Ending Violence ‘Courage Museum,'” Pelosi is directing a seven-figure sum to fund the group which smeared Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh with its celebration of Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of decades-old sexual misconduct to derail his 2018 nomination.
Other requests submitted include California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee’s plea for $360,000 to fund an LGBT mobile health and gender-affirming care center and Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s pursuit of nearly $300,000 to fund equity education at a local school district.
Republican lawmakers also appear to be taking advantage of earmarks to score special project funding in their own districts, including Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers requesting nearly $2 million in taxpayer dollars to develop a downtown marketplace in his east district.