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Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King have unveiled their requests for congressional earmarks, the member-proposed funding initiatives that are returning to Congress after a decade-long ban.
Unlike the House, which limited each member’s requests to 10 earmarks, the Senate is allowing far greater latitude to its members, resulting in an avalanche of requests.
Collins, a Republican, put forward 75 requests totaling $256 million. King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, made 99 requests totaling $203 million.
“The Senate is using pretty much the old-school way of doing things: ask for the moon and be happy with a few acres,” said Mark B. Harkins, a former appropriations staffer and lobbyist who is a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute.
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The moderate Maine Republican said she was optimistic that Democrats' House-passed bill to establish an independent panel could pass the Senate if amended.
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