Members of the House depart after the first session of the 117th Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, Jan. 3, 2021. Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Pool via REUTERS Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. WASHINGTON - Detractors call them “pork,” invoking the cliche of a local congressman bringing home the bacon. Advocates call them “community project funding.” Whatever the appellation, the debate over whether Congress can ethically bring back earmarks — a maligned spending practice banished a decade ago — is fueling debate among Texans in Congress. For some members, earmarks bring to mind an ugly past that landed one of their own in prison. Others see reviving the practice as one way to return to a functional, maybe even bipartisan, political system.