Skip to footer

Top 10 senators seeking earmarks

The omnibus spending bill died Thursday in the Senate amid controversy over the practice of earmarking, or inserting funding for pet projects into legislation. Here are the senators who sought the most spending for their states, ranked by the monetary value of proposed earmarks, whether alone or with others.

7. Harry Reid (D) of Nevada

Newscom/File

  • By Leigh Montgomery Staff
  • Geoff Johnson Correspondent

Number of earmarks: 166

Amount requested: $237.8 million

Senator Reid's largest request, made with all of the other Nevada legislators, was for $22.9 million for a Las Vegas Army National Guard field maintenance shop. Together with fellow Nevadan Sen. Jon Ensign (R), Reid sought $19 million for the Army Corps of Engineers for water projects and wastewater treatment in rural Nevada and $11 million for a communication network control center at Nellis Air Force Base. Reid, the Senate majority leader, decided to pull the omnibus bill from the floor after GOP support evaporated amid constituent outcry about earmarks.

6 of 9
You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.