At Taxpayers for Common Sense, we’ve spent decades tracking and challenging earmarks—congressionally directed spending provisions that steer taxpayer dollars to specific recipients, often without competitive review or a clear national purpose. While earmarks represent a small slice of the federal budget, they can distort priorities, reduce transparency, and open the door to waste and abuse.
We define earmarks as provisions that set aside funds within a federal account for a specific project, program, institution, or location. These allocations frequently bypass merit-based or competitive funding processes, favoring political influence over public need.
Our work involves conducting in-depth analysis to identify trends and highlight areas of concern. We advocate for stronger transparency requirements, enforceable disclosure standards, and a return to merit-based allocation of federal funds. At the same time, we engage with policymakers, journalists, and the public to explain how earmarks affect the budget and why meaningful reform is needed.
Our investigations have also helped expose instances where earmarks were tied to campaign contributions or pay-to-play politics, reinforcing the need for continued oversight and accountability. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent based on effectiveness and public benefit—not political clout—and that federal spending reflects national priorities, not parochial interests.
