House Republicans, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, are pushing for millions in federal funding for infrastructure, clean water, and veterans’ projects in their districts for fiscal year 2026. This is a common practice in Congress, where lawmakers request specific funds for community initiatives they represent, though critics argue that this type of spending is often criticized as ‘pork-barrel’ spending.
This year’s fiscal year, opening on October 1, is no different, with both Republicans and Democrats requesting over a billion dollars in earmarked funds. The issue has become particularly prominent as GOP lawmakers debate the best strategy to avoid a government shutdown crisis. The ongoing funding dispute is not only a fiscal concern but also a political one, with lawmakers attempting to secure resources for their home districts while managing broader budgetary goals.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., has been approved for more than $55 million in funding for his district. This includes $9 million to improve the Middle River Fire Company’s facilities and $1 million toward a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Harris’s requests focus on rural development, the Army Corps of Engineers, and clean water projects. He defends these earmarks, asserting that the funds are essential to ensure that federal tax dollars directly benefit taxpayers in his district. Harris argues that the current system allows elected members of Congress to designate where federal money is spent, rather than leaving those decisions to unelected bureaucrats.
Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, a self-described deficit hawk, has secured over $10 million in funding. This includes more than $4 million for the Flexible Neutron Source, a research tool at the University of Tennessee, and $2 million for veterans housing in Knox County. House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., has received over $18 million in earmarks, the largest of which is $4.2 million for the Silicon Bayou Semiconductor Technology Center at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Higgins also submitted a joint request with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise for $131.5 million for the Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico Project, a flood prevention initiative aimed at reducing storm damage in Louisiana.
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, another House Freedom Caucus member, has received nearly $15 million in community funding for clean water projects and highway infrastructure. Boebert initially opposed earmarks when she first came to Congress but changed her stance after GOP-led reforms in 2023. She has argued in a 2023 op-ed in the Aspen Times that real reforms to the appropriations process are essential to ensure that tax dollars benefit local communities, not wasted on what she calls corrupt spending schemes under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Boebert has defended her funding decisions by stating that her district’s roads are crumbling and that water is being sent to California, where it is wasted.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a conservative libertarian, has secured $5 million in funding for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Massie, who serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, argues that the federal government has a legitimate role in transportation infrastructure and that the legislature has the constitutional authority to direct funding for these projects. He has also supported efforts to restore congressionally directed spending, particularly in the context of transportation infrastructure.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, chair of the House subcommittee for Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), has received nearly $10 million in earmarks for her rural-suburban Georgia district. These funds are largely allocated to infrastructure and law enforcement projects in Floyd County and other areas. While known as a fiscal hawk, Greene has primarily criticized government spending on foreign aid rather than domestic initiatives. She emphasized that her district deserves these investments and that Washington has often sent federal funds to fund foreign wars and globalist projects.
While the aforementioned lawmakers’ spending requests are not an exhaustive list of all House funding requests, they illustrate the extent of the practice within Congress across both parties. Efforts have been made in the FY2025 budget process to limit funding requests for what some GOP appropriators label as ‘woke’ or socially progressive policies. These changes, however, have drawn criticism from Democrats who argue that they block federal funding for LGBT initiatives and other social programs.