Centennial State News

Republican leaders are in disagreement regarding the party's support of earmarks after Democrats reinstituted last month a revamped version of the practice that includes new transparency measures, according to a news report.

House Republicans lifted their decade-long internal ban on the practice of seeking earmarks March 17. Three years ago former President Donald Trump had suggested that Congress should "think about going back to a form of earmarks." Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), defended this change by maintaining it would allow Republicans more direct access to project funding in their districts.

"There's a real concern about the [Biden] administration directing where the money goes," McCarthy said. "This doesn't add one more dollar. I think members here know what's most important about what's going on in  their district, not [President] Biden. I think members want to have a say in their own district."

However, not all Republican lawmakers share this opinion, with many conservatives such as Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) who argued earmarks are “little more than legislative bribery.”

”Make no mistake, these will be used as currency for votes as Democratic leadership buys off moderates who do not support their party’s radical policy agenda,” Roy said, as reported by The Hill. "This chamber has already made it clear that it is no longer the 'People’s House' in any true sense, but consolidating even more power in party leadership would be another institutional embarrassment on a list that’s already too long.”

This split among Republican leadership is also reflected in the party's internal disagreements regarding reforming anti-trust laws for Big Tech. Pro-Trump Republican groups such as The Center for American Restoration are pressuring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and McCarthy to pursue legislative reform against Big Tech social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.

"America's foundational values of diverse speech, market access and the free flow of information are imperiled by concentrated corporate power wielded at an unprecedented scale and in many cases, aided and abetted by federal policies. Inaction in this forum is no longer an acceptable response," the Center for American Restoration wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. "We look forward to reviewing the various bills and proposals that emerge as Congress refines its approach to this increasing and existential threat to our nation."

While Republicans have historically argued against intervening in the market, The Center for American Restoration argues that the corporate power generated by tech companies represents a threat to free speech and democratic ideals that supersedes government overreach.

Complaints of conservative censorship among social medial sites grew increasingly prevalent among Trump and his allies nearing the end of his presidency, with Trump himself being banned from Twitter following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Companies maintain that the bans were a result of breaking policy rules and meant to keep users safe from hate speech and misinformation.

The Center for American Restoration is headed by former Trump administration official Russ Vought. The organization is joined by Jim DeMint's Conservative Partnership Institute, Mike Davis' Internet Accountability Project and L. Brent Bozell III's' Media Research Center.