House lawmakers have requested billions of dollars for special community funding projects, or earmarks, whose approval hinges on Congress’s ability to pass all 12 appropriations bills by the end of September.
So far, the House has passed two appropriations bills: Military Construction/Veterans Affairs and Defense. The chamber has had difficulty passing all 12 bills in fiscal years past, so it is likely that, with lawmakers on August recess, Republican leadership will need to do a short-term spending deal ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.
House lawmakers requested $23,394,859,447 in earmarks. Of that total, Republicans requested the most, just over $14 billion, while Democrats requested just over $9.3 billion. Earmarks make up just 0.5% of the overall House topline, per the Appropriations Committee.
The top five Republicans who requested the earmarks worth the most were Reps. John Rutherford (R-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), and Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN).
The top five Democrats who requested the most costly earmarks were Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Ed Case (D-HI), and Eric Sorensen (D-IL).
Each House member can request up to 15 projects, but not all are accepted. However, the inclusion of earmarks in the bills does not guarantee that money is on its way to their districts. The appropriations bill must pass the House and Senate and head to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
HOUSE EARMARKS ARE BACK — HERE’S WHAT MEMBERS REQUESTED FOR FISCAL 2026
Republicans
1. John Rutherford
Rutherford, 72, has been a member of Congress since 2017. He sits on the Appropriations and Ethics committees and is part of the Main Street Caucus.
He requested the most earmarks of any Republican, totaling $795,942,500. His 15 requested projects fall under the Commerce, Justice, and Science, Interior and Environment, Transportation and Housing, Energy and Water, and Military Construction/Veterans Affairs bills.
Among the projects is a $262 million request for a Multi-Aircraft Paint & Strip Facility Planning and Design in Jacksonville, Florida. A $374.6 million request is intended for an F-35 Aircraft Engine Repair Facility, and $45 million is requested for a Child Development Center Planning and Design, both in Jacksonville.
“The purpose of Community Project Funding (CPFs) is to give members of Congress, not Washington bureaucrats, the power to decide how a small percentage of discretionary funding is spent,” Rutherford said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “That means spending federal dollars on projects that local constituencies actually need and want.”
Rutherford said he aims for funding that “helps protect our coastal communities and military installations, and enhances our transportation systems.”
“I am proud to have requested, on behalf of my constituents, the funding that our district needs,” the Florida Republican added. “Anyone interested in learning more about the CPFs requested can find them all posted on my website.”
2. Brian Mast
Mast is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He has been a member of Congress since 2017.
The Florida congressman requested 15 projects, totaling $777,982,480. The earmarks are in the Commerce, Justice, and Science, Interior and Environment, Transportation and Housing, and Energy and Water bills.
The largest requested earmark is $725 million for the Everglades Restoration Plan. Of that $725 million, $446 million came at Trump’s request in his fiscal 2026 budget recommendation. It was the largest presidential recommendation for Everglades restoration and the largest amount the Appropriations Committee has given to this project.
“Since coming to office, congressman Mast has always fought to protect Florida’s waterways, which are vital to the economy and quality of life on the Treasure Coast, and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration is central to that fight,” Kate Constantini, Mast’s spokeswoman, told the Washington Examiner.
3. Randy Weber
Weber has served as Texas’s 14th District representative since 2013. He sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He is a member of the Republican Study Committee.
He requested $409,752,622 in earmarks for 15 projects. Of that roughly $410 million, $200 million is intended for the Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement Project for the U.S> Army Corps of Engineers.
The congressman’s website for earmarks states the project would deepen the waterway from an authorized depth of 40 feet to 48 feet. The waterway is also the United States’s leading energy and military exporter and No. 1 LNG (liquefied natural gas) exporter.
“Southeast Texas is a critical part of this nation’s backbone, sitting right on the Gulf with key waterways and ports that keep America moving,” Weber said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “I’m proud to fight every day to secure Community Project Funding that supports projects advancing the President’s priorities—projects that create good jobs, boost our economy, and protect our communities. My commitment is clear: I’ll keep standing strong for Southeast Texas and the hardworking families who call this place home.”
4. Guy Reschenthaler
Reschenthaler is the chief majority deputy whip and is in his fourth term as a House member. He sits on the Appropriations Committee.
His earmark requests total $356,630,355 for 15 projects. His largest earmark request totals $257 million for the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, Montgomery Lock for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The funds would be used to physically complete the work, with the congressman noting that it is a valuable use of taxpayer dollars as it will “recapitalize a structurally deficient lock on the Ohio River in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
Other projects include $300,000 for the Somerset County Food Access Project to provide additional food supplies, walk-in cooler panels, box packaging for delivery and pick-up needs, and a refrigerated box truck to address food insecurity in southwest Pennsylvania.
Roughly $643,354 will go toward upgrading technology for Westmoreland County law enforcement officials, and $3 million will go to Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s College of Medicine for facility infrastructure, equipment, and other expenses for a School of Osteopathic Medicine to increase healthcare access in rural areas.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Reschenthaler for comment.
5. Chuck Fleischmann
Fleischmann has represented Tennessee’s 3rd District since 2011. He sits on the Appropriations and Science and Technology committees.
He requested a total of $267,687,628 in earmarks for 15 projects. The largest one totals $213 million for the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is a similar waterway project to those above, whose construction has been ongoing since 2004, per the congressman’s letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK).
Fleischmann said in the letter that this project will increase job flow from Chattanooga to East Tennessee and make it easier for commercial and recreational vessels to pass through the dam.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Fleischmann for comment.
Democrats
1. Chris Deluzio
Deluzio has represented Pennsylvania’s 17th District since 2023. He sits on the Armed Services and Transportation committees. He is a member of the Progressive Caucus.
He requested the largest sum of earmarks for Democrats, totaling $278,069,682 for 15 projects.
Of that sum, $275 million is intended to modernize the Montgomery Lock and Dam sites in Upper Ohio, Allegheny, and Beaver counties. Deluzio noted in his letter to Cole that the three lock and dam sites underwent significant rehabilitation in the 1980s, and modernizing the facilities would allow for larger and more efficient vessels to move through the river.
Design of the locks and a significant portion of the construction were funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at a cost of over $857 million. But, due to “unanticipated cost escalation” from inflation and market conditions, additional funding is required. The congressman stated upgrading the three sites would bolster an area that supports over 180,000 jobs and brings in $4.8 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Other requested projects include $125,000 for a police patrol boat for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department, just over $500,000 for upgrades to the Ross Township Police Department’s body-worn camera and fleet video equipment, and $1.5 million for an “all-inclusive playground” in Pittsburgh. The playground is intended to be an outdoor physical and social recreational space for all persons, regardless of limitations.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Deluzio for comment.
2. Zoe Lofgren
Lofgren is serving her 15th term in Congress, having been a member of the House since 1994. She is the ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
She requested $256,773,000 in earmarks for 15 projects. One project, totaling $226 million, would construct a levee at the Pajaro River in Watsonville, California, to prevent floods.
“I am proud to have asked for enough funding to protect the proud, but poor, community of Pajaro from devastating floods,” Lofgren said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “I certainly know what my Central Coast constituents need more than the Trump administration does. I am disappointed that my request to provide life-saving funding has not yet been honored.”
3. Melanie Stansbury
Stansbury is a House Democrat representing New Mexico’s 1st District since 2021. She sits on the Natural Resources and the Oversight committees. She is a member of the Progressive Caucus.
She requested $140 million for 15 projects. Of that total, $20 million is for a wastewater treatment plant and $8 million is for the construction of a behavioral health center, both in the town of Bemalillo. Another $8 million is going to an acute care hospital in Valencia County.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Stansbury for comment.
4. Ed Case
Case has served as the representative for both of Hawaii’s congressional districts, representing the 2nd District from 2002 to 2007. He left Congress to practice law and serve as a senior vice president to one of the state’s oldest hotel companies. He then returned to Congress in 2019 as the representative of the 1st District and sits on the Appropriations Committee.
He requested $123,380,400 for 15 projects. Of that total, $90 million is intended for a water treatment facility for the Navy Department at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Oahu. The Red Hill Water Treatment Facility would remove potential contaminants after approximately 14,00 gallons of water and fuel entered Pearl Harbor’s drinking water system in 2021.
The incident displaced over 3,500 military families and sickened many residents. The military has stopped drawing drinking water from the shaft, despite the shaft supplying 15-20% of the drinking water for the base, per the congressman’s website.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Case for comment.
5. Eric Sorensen
Sorensen is an Illinois House Democrat representing the state’s 17th District since 2023. He sits on the Agriculture and Armed Services committees.
The congressman’s 15 requested projects total $111,042,218. The largest project is funding a Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program for the Army Corps of Engineers in Rock Island, Illinois. The program, totalling $73 million, would improve navigation and restore the ecosystem along the Upper Mississippi River.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Sorensen for comment.