Dr. Rand Paul Announces 2024 March Earmark Madness Tournament

WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) announced his 2024 March Earmark Madness Tournament consisting of 16 of the most egregious earmarks in the $1.2 trillion spending bill being considered by Congress this week. These “Shameful 16,” which spend Americans’ hard-earned tax-payer dollars on individual Senators’ pet projects, were chosen amongst more than 1,400 earmarks detailed over 1,000 pages released just one day before leadership in both parties will force a vote on the deal.

Below are the Shameful 16:

  • $2M to the University of Maine for the construction of a kelp and shellfish nursery
  • $388K to Columbia University in New York, a private university with a $13.6 billion endowment
  • $1.5M to Game On New York to expand the gaming industry
  • $1.7M for wind energy workforce education and training in New York
  • $250K for the Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Archives in West Virginia
  • $1.5M for economic and business development training for lobstering in Maine
  • $249K for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
  • $85K to a public school district in Connecticut to increase school attendance
  • $1.1M for a food incubator project in Delaware
  • $1M granted to SAGE, an elderly LGBTQ+ advocacy group in New York for “cultural competency” training for medical staff
  • $150K to CitySeed, Inc., in Connecticut for a culinary training program
  • $250K for Tech2Market in Delaware, a program aiding in early-stage clean energy startups
  • $350K for the Harlem Arts Alliance in New York
  • $1M to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital
  • $500K to the San Diego Zoo for a student biodiversity corps program
  • $1M for the Cambridge Massachusetts Community Center to install solar panels so they can operate “off the grid” 

You can find a 2024 March Earmark Madness Tournament bracket below.

The 2024 March Earmark Madness Tournament will have four single elimination rounds that take place via Dr. Paul’s X account on Friday, March 22, starting at 9 a.m. ET. Follow along and vote @SenRandPaul.

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