The old adages of "what goes around come around" and "nothing new under the sun," are probably doing just that. Hints in Washington suggest that "earmarks" as they are known to us, are really not just pet projects, but rather a means of support and representation of those constituents that sent them to Washington, DC, to do just that.
This sounds like a completely plausable thing to do to get monies for your states enhancement. So how did we get to a place of 'earmarks' and 'pork spending' being a bad thing for our representatives to do?
Was it the "Bridge to Nowhere "or the non transparency of the Bridge to Nowhere?"
This article from the Hill, tells of things to come, or come again. TheHill's Scott Wong, November 13, 2018 article, Earmarks Look to be Making A Comback, gives an insight of what is to come in 2019. This is a good read.