The NPR Politics Podcast

Once Derided As Graft, Earmarks Just Helped Congress Pass A Bipartisan Budget Deal

Mar 11, 2022

Hansi Lo Wang, an NPR correspondent specializing in the census, discusses the critical undercount of Black, Latino, and Native American populations in the 2020 Census. He highlights the implications of these disparities on political representation and funding. The conversation also dives into the bipartisan budget deal, including the shift in priorities as COVID relief money is noticeably absent. The role of earmarks in fostering cooperation among lawmakers is explored, reflecting on their historical significance and current political climate.

24:35

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Episode guests

Hansi Lo Wang

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Senate Budget: Bipartisan Approvals and Earmarks Reintroduced

8min

Funding Tensions: COVID-19 and Congressional Response

2min

Counting Disparities in the 2020 Census

8min

Census Counts and Baseball Beginnings

3min

Whimsical Wildlife Wonders

3min

Whimsical Reflections on Parrots and Parenting

2min

The $1.5 trillion dollar package also contained billions in aid to Ukraine. One thing that was absent? COVID relief money that the White House was banking on.

And the 2020 Census undercounted many Black, Latino, and Native Americans. White, non-Latino Americans were overcounted. That could help to perpetuate inequality.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, correspondent Hansi Lo Wang, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

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