Before 2011, earmarks were a frequent source of corruption and furthering of personal agendas by Members of Congress. In 2011, Congress passed a temporary ban on earmarks, which every session of Congress renewed–until recently. In January 2021, after a decade-long moratorium, Congress returned earmarks under the guise of “Community Project Funding.” Aptly known as “pork-barrel spending,” an earmark is an item in an appropriation bill or large spending package that designates money for a specific recipient, special-interest group, or pet project while avoiding the typical merit-based or competi…