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Congressionally Directed Spending

Thank you for your interest in applying for congressionally directed spending (CDS) through Senator Kaine’s office. In 2021, the Senate restarted the CDS process to allow members of Congress to work with the communities they represent to fund local community projects, formerly known as earmarks, in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability. This process allows Congress to dedicate federal funding for specific projects.

Once a request is submitted, it will go through an internal review process to ensure the project is eligible for funding and has a substantial benefit to the community. If the project meets that criteria, Senator Kaine will push to get the project funded in the annual government funding bill to help ensure the bill meets Virginians’ needs.

It is important to note that the budgetary constraints currently facing the federal government, as well as the Appropriations Committee’s parameters on congressionally directed spending, limit the opportunities for community project funding. Submission of this application does not guarantee that funding will be appropriated.

The deadline to submit applications for Fiscal Year 2024 was on March 10, 2023. FY 2024 submissions by Senator Kaine can be found here.      

Senators Warner and Kaine accepted requests for Virginia projects for Fiscal Year 2024 jointly. Interested parties only needed to submit ONE form on EITHER of the senators’ websites.

Please read the instructions below in full and feel free to reach out to Approps@warner.senate.gov and Kaine_Approps@kaine.senate.gov with questions.

Any CDS request that was submitted to Senator Warner or Senator Kaine’s office for previous fiscal years must be resubmitted for consideration for FY24. Prior requests do not carry over to the new fiscal year.

Before submitting an application, please review the list of accounts under which CDS requests will be supported in the FY24 process here.

  • Purpose: The purpose of this application is to identify high-impact projects in Virginia that can reach completion with one-time assistance from the federal government.
  • Senate Rule XLIV: Any CDS request submitted to the Appropriations Committee must comply with this rule.
  • FY22 Reforms: The Appropriations Committee instituted the following reforms for FY22 and FY23 when it restarted the CDS process. These reforms are expected to continue for the FY24 process.
    • A 1 percent cap on discretionary spending for congressionally directed spending items;
    • Ban congressionally directed spending items to for-profit entities;
    • Require Senators to post online their congressionally directed spending item requests, as well as their financial certification disclosures attesting that they do not have any financial interest in any of the items requested; and
    • The Committee will require the Government Accountability Office to audit a sample of enacted congressionally directed spending items and report its findings to Congress.

If you are interested in periodic updates about CDS, please sign up here and make sure to check the box that says "Appropriations & Community Project Funding."

FY 2022 submissions by Senator Kaine can be found here.

FY 2023 submissions by Senator Kaine can be found here.