A conservative rebellion against earmarks is threatening to tank a key procedural vote Wednesday afternoon on a three-bill spending package as House GOP leaders scramble to avoid another intraparty meltdown on the chamber floor.
House leaders plan to strip out an earmark from Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, which could have major repercussions in a legislative body already plagued by partisan tensions and mistrust.
The community project funding at the center of hard-liners’ ire is $1 million for an organization in Minneapolis focused on “wraparound services” that include job training, addiction recovery and housing support. The organization describes itself as “youth-led East African recovery organization.”
The scrutiny over the earmark, which was backed by Minnesota’s Senate delegation, comes as federal funding for child care centers in Minnesota’s large Somali community is under fire by the Trump administration due to allegations of fraud. Some Republicans are claiming that this organization is also fraudulent.
