earmark
An earmark is a designation in an appropriations bill that indicates where public funds should be allocated through a method other than a statutory, administrative, formula-driven, or competitive award process. Earmarks are often used to fund state or local projects.
Earmarks can be controversial at times when they are used to fund “pet projects” or used as concessions to gather support for an appropriations bill. Earmarks have undergone considerable reform and are now subject to disclosure rules and limits. See: House Rule XXI and Senate Rule XLIV.
In campaign finance law, earmarking refers to the practice of a donor giving money to a political party with the stipulation that the money be funneled to a specific candidate. 52 U.S.C. § 30116(a)(8) treats earmarked funds as contributions for the purpose of contribution limits. However, in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission (2026), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that contribution limits under 52 U.S.C. § 30116 were in violation of the First Amendment protections on freedom of speech.
[Last reviewed in July of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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