Mobile-area Congressman Jo Bonner faced a pointed round of questioning from Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett over his use of earmarks and his recent appointment to the powerful House Appropriations Committee, in an exchange that renewed scrutiny of the congressman’s spending record amid a broader national debate over earmark reform.
Jarrett opened by noting that when a Republican seat opened on the Appropriations Committee, it went to Bonner rather than Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake, widely regarded as Washington’s most persistent anti-earmark crusader. Jarrett pointed out that Bonner had himself been criticized for directing earmarks toward projects tied to lobbyist-connected clients, asking whether the practice was appropriate given that some of those same lobbyists had gone on to contribute to Bonner’s campaigns.
Bonner rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing, telling Jarrett, “It’s not illegal. And I don’t believe it is inappropriate,” and adding that most of the contributions he receives come from individual constituents who support his positions rather than from special interests seeking favors. Pressed further on whether the broader practice was ethically sound, Bonner acknowledged the risks earmarks pose to the legislative process more generally, saying, “It can be an addiction and it can be a cancer that can corrupt the process. Now, that said, all earmarks are not bad.”
The interview also touched on earmark controversies involving other members of Congress. Jarrett raised the case of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who had earmarked $207 million for a highway project near land Hastert had purchased, then sold at a substantial profit after the funding bill was signed. Bonner responded that Hastert had disputed the facts as Jarrett described them, but added, “If that is in fact true, then not only was it wrong, it would be indefensible.” On a separate case involving Rep. Paul Kanjorski, who had earmarked $10 million over four years for a company run by his family, Bonner said he could not comment because it potentially involved the Department of Justice and his own role on the House Ethics Committee.
When Jarrett pushed Bonner to weigh in on Rep. Ken Calvert, who set up a transportation center within two miles of properties he owned, Bonner declined to render judgment on individual colleagues, saying, “I’m not going to answer questions about members of Congress and what they have allegedly done.” He argued that while the pattern of questions might lead many Americans to conclude the worst, the vast majority of the 435 members of Congress are not using earmarks for personal enrichment.
Bonner used the interview to highlight steps he says he has taken toward greater transparency, noting that he has personally cut his earmark requests in half this year and that Republicans have proposed a one-year moratorium on all earmarks. He said that effort stalled because Democratic leadership, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, would not meet Republicans halfway on the proposal.
The exchange arrives amid a broader national reckoning over congressional earmarking, an appropriations practice that lets individual lawmakers direct federal money to specific projects, often in their home districts, without going through the standard competitive process. Critics across the political spectrum have argued the practice invites corruption and wasteful spending, while defenders, including many Alabama lawmakers, say targeted earmarks let members bring federal resources home for legitimate local needs such as roads, ports and economic development projects.