Earmarks: Motivation for the U.S. Congress: Continued Use of Omnibus Appropriations Bills in the Budget Process

This article addresses the U. S. Congress' increasing dependence on the use of omnibus appropriations bills in the budget process for the purpose of facilitating member support to reach a budget agreement. In this regard, the article attempts to demonstrate that, for as long as congress members continue the to be confronted by certain political and structural factors that are built into the political system, the use of omnibus appropriations bills, along with the earmarks which they contain, will continue ad infinitum.