National Defense Authorization Bill

Deep in the phone-book sized budget bill for the Pentagon, known as the National Defense Authorization Act are two paragraphs that tout a new kind of tactical ladder over the more “cumbersome” ones now in use by the military. Experts say the appearance of the ladders in the bill has the same intent of an earmark -- the process that Congress banned in 2011 -- and it illustrates how the ban has forced members of Congress to come up with inventive ways to show their constituents they’re fighting for their interests in Washington.