That’s right. The first earmark ever requested was vetoed by President James Madison, who called the spending unconstitutional.
Jim Cox writes:
The first known Member of Congress to write a bill specifically requesting an appropriation of funds for a specific project was Congressman John C. Calhoun of South Carolina (7th Vice President of the United States) who requested funds in 1817 under the Bonus Bill for “internal improvements.” Those improvements were to build roads to connect the East and South with the American Frontier. President James Madison vetoed the bill stating:
“Having considered the bill … I am constrained by the insuperable difficulty I feel in reconciling this bill with the Constitution of the United States. … The legislative powers vested in Congress are specified … in the … Constitution, and it does not appear that the power proposed to be exercised by the bill is among the enumerated powers. …”
You can learn more by downloading the document, “How 20th Century Politicians Made Earmarking Constitutional.” We’ve also made it available in our Recommended Reading section, so it is available as a resource to all who visit our website in the future. Thank you to author Jim Cox for sharing it with us.
