The jockeying began earlier this month, after Biden announced a roughly $2 trillion blueprint to upgrade the nation’s roads, bridges, waterways and ports. Days later, he followed his infrastructure plan with a $1.5 trillion budget for fiscal 2022 that included the biggest increases in domestic spending in more than a decade. Together, the proposed investments reflect the president’s broader economic agenda, as he labors to fulfill his 2020 campaign promises, create new jobs and help the country “build back better.” But they also offer a unique window for members of Congress to secure the sort of aid that might help bolster their communities — and shore up their reelection prospects in the process. Setting aside earmarks and other sums for specific communities could help the White House round up more votes on infrastructure reform, perhaps even among Republicans who have questioned such spending in the past. But federal funding isn’t unlimited, and lawmakers risk overestimating the public’s tolerance for this sort of wheeling and dealing. With no guarantees that Congress will adopt major infrastructure and budget legislation, Democrats and Republicans must strike a precarious balance if they hope to secure any aid at all.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/04/21/congress-earmarks-infrastructure/