The return of earmarks to the annual appropriations bills has sparked a battle among Republicans on Capitol Hill, pitting fiscal hawks against members of the Appropriations Committees and their allies.

It’s a serious battle and one that could scuttle the chances of passing appropriations bills ahead of the Sept. 30 government funding deadline.

Republican responsibility for the huge federal deficit has become a hot political issue after President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is projected to add $3.4 trillion to the debt over the next decade, into law.

Conservatives are deeply disappointed that Trump’s bill did not make deeper cuts to federal spending, and they want to make a statement with significant reductions in the annual appropriations bills for fiscal 2026.

Adding to the frustrations of fiscal hawks, those bills are already loaded with earmarks directing the Trump administration how to spend funds.

Conservatives view the return of earmarks as a return to the days of pork-barrel spending and a bad look for Republicans when the party is taking fire from Democrats for exploding future deficits.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a leading conservative, argued that earmarks are still prohibited by Senate Republican conference rules, even though some members of the conference choose not to follow them.

“It’s still prohibited by conference policy, and I think we need to stick to that,” Lee told The Hill.

Lee said the proliferation of earmarks in the spending bills are “incompatible with our approach as Republicans, and it’s also incompatible with having $37 trillion in debt.”

Some conservatives are pushing for Congress to pass a yearlong stop-gap spending........

© The Hill