Phonemarking

Phonemarking is a process by which Congressional lawmakers directly contact a federal Department or agency which is a reciepient of federal appropriations to secure money for their favorite causes outside of the congressional appropriations process. On some appropriations Congressional members were not permitted to attach earmarks, or explicit instructions that a department or agency purchase specific good or services, usually from a company owned by a constituent, a donor, or both. Lobbyists and Congressional staffers refer to a new practice in the 110th Congress as "phonemarking", where a member calls the Department or agency and tells them what a great idea it would be if the to spend money -- money which is already appropriated although not by name -- on a Congressional members pet pork project.

When the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives passed one of its first spending bills in the 100th Congress, it made the claim that the legislation contained no money earmarked for lawmakers' pet projects and stressed that any prior congressional requests for such spending "shall have no legal effect." Within days, however, lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid of Nevada began directly phonemarking certain federal Departments.