Earmarks in Federal Budget Reaping Millions for Nonprofits

Washington, D.C., March 13, 2009, The Examiner — Over and above the tens of millions for D.C. schools, courts, infrastructure and the Metrorail system found in the massive federal spending bill is more than $10 million earmarked by Congress for District-based organizations.

Buried in the $410 billion appropriations bill are a bevy of earmarks directed to two dozen D.C. nonprofits and institutions for a host of projects in health care, education, child safety and other areas. The legislation as a whole features roughly 9,000 earmarks totaling about $7.7 billion, a whopping figure given the weak economy and promises from both political parties to crack down on the practice.