Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images Democrats want to bring back earmarks, but face strong opposition from Republicans. Republicans, who banned earmarks a decade ago, want to permanently do away with them, citing past abuses. Democrats argue that members of Congress use them to receive funding for community projects. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Earmarks used to be a major - and controversial - tool for getting difficult legislation passed through Congress, but that all changed a decade ago.