New House rules mandate that the congressional earmarks be identified. In the upcoming defense appropriations bill there are 1,337 earmarks reported which will cost $3.07 billion, ”less than half the number and value of earmarks in last year’s bill. ” It’s a start.

“Even though the panel disclosed the project name, the requesting member, and the budget line in which the project was requested, the bill and its earmarks are not a model of transparency. The panel did not disclose either the amount requested or the companies that would benefit.”