Bowling Green Today

U.S. Senator Rand Paul has unveiled the 2024 March Earmark Madness Tournament, featuring 16 earmarks from the $1.2 trillion spending bill currently under consideration in Congress. These earmarks, dubbed the "Shameful 16," represent individual Senators' pet projects funded by taxpayers' dollars.

Among the controversial earmarks are allocations such as "$2M to the University of Maine for the construction of a kelp and shellfish nursery" and "$1M granted to SAGE, an elderly LGBTQ+ advocacy group in New York for 'cultural competency' training for medical staff."

The tournament, which will proceed through four single-elimination rounds, is set to begin on Friday, March 22, via Dr. Paul's X account at 9 a.m. ET. Voters can participate and track the tournament by following @SenRandPaul on social media.

The announcement of the earmark tournament comes as a response to the sudden release of over 1,400 earmarks detailed across 1,000 pages, shortly before Congress is expected to vote on the spending bill.

For more updates and to engage in the March Earmark Madness Tournament, follow @SenRandPaul.