Did Republicans ask for $7.4 billion in earmarks and Democrats $2.8 billion in the 2024 budget?

Roll Call, a news service that covers congressional legislation, reported in July 2023 that Republican House of Representatives members put $7.4 billion and Democratic House members $2.8 billion in earmarks in fiscal 2024 spending bills.

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley criticized the GOP earmarks during the Aug. 23, 2023, Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee.

Republicans hold the majority in the House, giving them control over appropriations bills.

An earmark is any congressionally directed spending or tax benefit that benefits an entity or a specific state, locality or congressional district.

The Roll Call report found Democrats requested 65% of the 4,714 earmarks included in spending bills, but that those earmarks made up less than 38% of the total dollars.

Republican Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee secured the largest amount of fiscal 2024 earmarks, $273.3 million, mostly for an Army Corps of Engineers’ Chickamauga Lock project in Chattanooga, Roll Call reported.