The House Appropriations Committee released the FY 2024 process and guidance for program, language, and community project requests (formerly known as earmarks) with early spring deadlines. For the first time, this year’s process excludes earmarks in the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee, as well as Financial Services, and Defense subcommittee bills. These subcommittee exclusions are in addition to the previous ban on earmarks in the Legislative Branch and State-Foreign Operations bills.

In addition to limiting the subcommittees eligible for community projects, the House guidance cuts the total spending level by half compared to FY 2023, to .5% of discretionary spending. Project requests must also provide an explanation of the “federal nexus,” meaning that a project must both be tied to and have relevance to a federally authorized law. The tightening of the project rules reflects the pressure on the House leadership to diminish federal spending and the federal footprint, and highlights the approach the budget and appropriation process will take this year.

The Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee is the top funding stream for most higher education projects, representing 54% of the funding provided for projects in higher education last year. Among the subcommittee’s funded projects, the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration are the top funding accounts for higher education-related earmarks in FY 2023. In addition to limiting federal spending, an unspoken reason for limiting funding from the education subcommittee is conservative opposition to FY 2023 funding projects related to LGBT services.

Like the Senate process, the House guidance provides greater transparency and targeted eligibility for which projects will be funded, in contrast to the earmark practice pre-2011. House members are limited to 15 requests, and projects are only allowed for non-profit entities with community merit and support. The House bans projects for memorials, museums, or commemoratives.

Colleges interested in pursuing community project funding this year can look to other subcommittee accounts, including Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Homeland Security, Interior and Environment, Military Construction and VA, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
In general, institutions seeking congressionally-directed spending are encouraged to work directly with the offices of their Senators and Representative to determine the best-fit interests of the members for sponsorship, and the best community connections to garner local support for a project.