Earmarks

WASHINGTON Big money to help areas in Kentucky and other states ravaged by the coal industry’s slump could be part of the last big budget bill Congress considers before the November election -- but the funding faces a lot of stiff competition.Congress has until March 23 to fund much of the government through Sept. 30 or trigger a partial federal shutdown. And to sweeten the ever-growing pot of money, that means local interests must be served.That's why there's an energetic effort to add $1 billion to clean up abandoned mines, including an estimated $100 million for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's home state of Kentucky.

We have abandoned the budget, deficits are underestimated.