Dem
51
GOP
49
Texas is a major beef producing state and a noted Texan has decided to eliminate pork. Specifically, House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) has decided to ban all pork (earmarks) in the upcoming Labor-HHS-Education, Financial Services, and Defense appropriations bills. She also wants to limit it to a total of 0.5% in all the 2024 appropriations bills combined. Granger has been on the job only 2 months and people have wondered what kind of chair she would be. Now they are finding out.
Pork management is important for a key reason: it can get votes. It is common that a senator or representative doesn't like a bill for some reason, but the party leadership needs the vote. So they go to the recalcitrant member and ask: What would it take to get your vote? When the member says: "I want a bridge to nowhere in my state/district" they've got the vote. In general, Republicans hate pork because it leads to a lot of wasteful spending, but they sometimes have to give in. It looks like Granger is going to come down on the side of "maybe a tiny bit of pork, but not too much."
Democrats are not against pork. Ranking member of the Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said she was saddened by Granger's decision. Specifically, some health centers, hospitals, and schools that got money last year due to earmarks (when the Democrats were in charge), won't get any this year. She noted that some of the organizations affected got the money last year due to earmarks requested by Republicans. Granger was not impressed. (V)