Missouri Senators Defend Position On Earmarks

Missouri’s Republican U.S. senators are being blasted by labor leaders for refusing to add local projects to a recently-passed federal budget bill. The process, known as earmarks, involves adding millions of dollars to the federal budget to fund various projects back home. But Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt says earmarks are one of the main reasons the federal budget remains unbalanced:

Fellow Missouri Senator Josh Hawley calls earmarks “pet projects” used for political gain and says they should be outlawed. But the Missouri and Kansas Laborers District Council defends earmarks, saying they include highways and other infrastructure projects that often create jobs.

(From Missourinet)