Congress Revives Earmarks, Maryland Secures $969 Million

Maryland lawmakers have secured $969 million in earmark funding over the past five years, after Congress lifted a decade-long ban.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Legislative Policy

Isometric editorial illustration of an oxblood Capitol dome above a slate-blue horizon, with six cream cylinders in the foreground representing rolled federal funding. — Congress lifted its decade-long earmark ban, and Maryland lawmakers have since secured $969 million in district-directed federal funding over five years. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should Congress bring back special-project earmarks for lawmakers' districts?

Maryland lawmakers secured $969 million in earmark projects over the past five years, according to the reporting, after Congress lifted a ban on the special funding requests. The largest share came in the most recent year, totaling $328 million.

Why it matters

Earmarks let individual lawmakers direct federal money to projects in their districts, and their return reshapes how Maryland communities compete for federal dollars. The ban had been imposed amid concerns that congressional spending was out of control.

Maryland's earmark totals fell from $3.6 billion in 2008-2010 to $709 million in 2022-2024, adjusted to July 2024 dollars. Earmarks are now capped at 1% of discretionary spending, and no earmark funding was recorded for fiscal 2025.

The players

Chris Van Hollen

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen is a Maryland Democrat who ranked 16th highest in earmark requests in the last fiscal year.

The details

Earmarks are funds that lawmakers request for special projects in their districts, and Congress must pass a bill to secure them. Congress banned earmarks beginning in fiscal year 2011, after a member of Congress was sent to prison for bribery, and has now lifted that ban under new limits.

Fiscal year 2011: the earmark ban took effect.
2008-2010: Maryland lawmakers secured $3.6 billion in earmark projects.
2022-2024: Maryland lawmakers secured $709 million in earmark projects.
Fiscal 2025: no earmark funding was provided, and Congress passed a continuing resolution.

Legislative Context

The return of earmarks follows the fiscal 2011 ban, which Congress imposed after a member's bribery conviction and amid concerns over runaway spending. Congress now operates under new caps that limit earmarks to 1% of discretionary spending.

Maryland towns, counties, and nonprofits seeking federal money for local projects may find that earmark requests are again a route to funding. Residents should expect that the size of any future Maryland earmark allocation depends on the new 1% cap and on each lawmaker's requests.

The takeaway

Earmarks remain a small share of federal spending but a visible tool for lawmakers to fund local priorities, so tracking requests reveals where federal money is headed. Watching how the new caps are applied will show whether earmarks grow back or stay limited.