Both Democrats and Republicans give millions to universities in earmarks – but not in the same way

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 08, 2026 · 1057 words · By Heather McCambly; Stephanie Aguilar-Smith

Congressional Earmarks Partisan Spending Disparities Educational Equity

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What to know about Congressional Earmarks

The article analyzes federal earmarking patterns in higher education, comparing the spending habits of Republicans and Democrats. It argues that while Republicans provide larger sums of money often to wealthier institutions, Democrats tend to target minority-serving institutions with smaller amounts.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 18

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

politicians have perhaps never been more divided, including when it comes to their views on higher education.

Why it matters

Republicans are pushing for more control over the day-to-day work at colleges and universities.

Common ground

Some Republican politicians say that universities are elitist, woke organizations that are out of touch with the general public and lack value for most people.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Hypocrisy: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Congressional Earmarks story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that But Republicans were responsible for nearly three-fourths of those requests, or $470 million?
How does this story connect Congressional Earmarks with Partisan Spending Disparities over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/both-democrats-and-republicans-give-millions-to-univ…

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Hypocrisy 90% confidence

Dismissing someone's argument because their behavior contradicts it.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to hypocrisy helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “But Republicans were responsible for nearly three-fourths of those requests, or $470 million.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Republicans were responsible for approximately $470 million, which is nearly three-fourths of the $636 million total.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Republican may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is a right-wing populist and nationalist political party in the United States, sitting on the right-wing to far-right of the political sp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_State…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Republicans (Portuguese: Republicanos), formerly the Brazilian Republican Party (Portuguese: Partido Republicano Brasileiro, PRB) and originally formed as the Municipalist Renewal Party (Portugues…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicans_(Brazil)

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “Our 2024 study showed that Congress, as a whole, earmarked far less funding to minority-serving institutions and community colleges compared with what it gave to well-endowed research universities.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is mentioned in one web search result, but other results discuss general funding of research initiatives or specific university endowments without corroborating the specific 2024 study's findings on the disparity between MSIs and research universities.

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web search NEUTRAL — Private Nonprofit Colleges. Minority-Serving Institutions.But the fact remains that colleges and the research initiatives they house have been among the key recipients of the dollars, which some argue…
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/01/29/bush-earmarks…

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web search NEUTRAL — Minority-serving institutions,like historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges and universities, serve large shares of students of color and low-income students. They are generall…
https://theconversation.com/both-democrats-and-republicans-g…

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web search NEUTRAL — The endowment of the University of Alabama was valued at about $1 billion in 2022, according to a university financial report (pdf). Mr. Leahy earmarked federal funds in the amount of $30 million for …
https://www.openthebooks.com/the-epoch-times-congressional-e…

help

Claim 3: “Eight Republicans were among the 10 most generous earmark sponsors in fiscal year 2026.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.

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Claim 4: “Senator Mitch McConnell directed just shy of $60 million in earmarks to two large research universities, University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, for fiscal year 2026.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “For fiscal year 2026, spanning October 2025 through September 2026, Congress allocated US$16 billion in earmarks to a range of causes – approximately $2 billion of which went to colleges and universities across the country.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly confirm that for fiscal year 2026, Congress allocated $16 billion in earmarks, with approximately $2 billion going to colleges and universities.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle En…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indian National Congress (INC), also known as the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a big tent political party in India. It is India’s oldest political party and is widely regarded as one…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_National_Congress

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), alternatively the Trinamool Congress (TMC; transl. Grassroots Congress), is an Indian political party based in the state of West Bengal founded by Mamata Baner…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinamool_Congress

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “Senator Jim Justice, a Republican from West Virginia, requested nearly $60 million across seven earmark projects for his alma mater, Marshall University.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Jim Justice is a Republican Senator from West Virginia and Marshall University is in West Virginia, but none of the provided evidence confirms the specific request of nearly $60 million across seven projects.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Conley Justice II (born April 27, 1951) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from West Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, he …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Justice

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the United States…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_University

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the Democratic senators from California, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, secured a $3.5 million earmark to support the University of California, Merced’s medical school.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 8: “Currently, each member of Congress may issue 15 earmark requests to the House Committee on Appropriations each fiscal year.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While search results discuss the House Committee on Appropriations and the return of earmarks, none of the provided evidence specifies the exact limit of 15 requests per member per fiscal year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from state-level Pradesh Congress Co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Congress_Committee

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Current federal guidelines cap federal earmarks to 1% of total federal discretionary spending.”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results (GovFacts, Medium, and a partisan divide report) all state that federal earmarks are capped at 1% of total federal discretionary spending.

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web search NEUTRAL — Impact on the Federal Budget: Perception vs. Reality. A crucial aspect of the earmark debate is their actual fiscal impact. Under current rules, earmarks constitute a relatively small portion of total…
https://govfacts.org/government/budget-appropriations/federa…

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web search NEUTRAL — That’s a drop in the federal spending bucket. Earmarks are capped at 1% of overall discretionary spending.
https://medium.com/first-watch/oklahoma-earmarks-vanish-in-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — Despite a cap on earmarks at 1% of total federal discretionary spending, Congress members utilize them to support institutions that align with their political interests.
https://cmio.org/analysis/opinion-essays/860195-partisan-div…

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Claim 10: “Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from another district in Florida, secured a $2 million earmark for the university [Florida International University] to support its public health and social work programming [in 2022].”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “from October 2021 through September 2023, Republicans sponsored $230 million more in earmarks to colleges and universities than their Democratic colleagues did.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “Twenty-four senators – 13 Democrats and 11 Republicans – collectively requested approximately $636 million for projects at their alma maters in fiscal year 2026.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results (including CatholicVote and The Department of Me) confirm that 24 senators (13 Democrats and 11 Republicans) requested approximately $636 million for their alma maters in FY2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president for a term of four years. In the 2024 elections, then-former preside…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidentia…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the United States, sitting on the center to center-left of the political spectrum. Founded in 1828, it is the world's oldest active political party…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_State…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — US economic performance has consistently varied by the political party of the US President. According to many economic metrics (including job creation, GDP growth, stock market returns, personal incom…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._economic_performance_by_p…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “He did not sponsor any earmarks for the state’s two historically Black colleges and universities: Simmons College of Kentucky and Kentucky State University.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “Republican Senator John Boozman from Arkansas secured $45 million in earmarks to upgrade the University of Arkansas Medical Center”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “Nearly 70% and just over 75% of the undergraduates at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, respectively, identify as white.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 16: “McConnell sponsored a $2 million earmark project for a single community college in the state – Madisonville Community College.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 17: “they have cut funding to higher education, including slashing grants to universities with ethnically and racially diverse student bodies”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim appears in one web search result, but the other results are irrelevant (a study on Mexican-origin adolescents and a generic grants search page). There is no independent corroboration from multiple news organizations.

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web search NEUTRAL — Parallel Ethnic Identity Development of Mexican-Origin Adolescents and...
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15283488.2024.2…

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web search NEUTRAL — Archived (0). Funding Instrument Type: All Funding Instruments. Eligibility
https://www.grants.gov/search-grants

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web search NEUTRAL — In step with this rhetoric, they have cut funding to higher education, including slashing grants to universities with ethnically and racially diverse student bodies. Democrats, meanwhile, broadly supp…
https://theconversation.com/both-democrats-and-republicans-g…

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Claim 18: “Republicans also made up 27 of the 31 representatives who requested $50 million or more from that year’s budget.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.