Maryland members of Congress stand behind a giant, fake check, smiling brightly. Next to them, local elected officials and nonprofit leaders look grateful.

The pictures are interchangeable, the details and words adaptable to suit the locale:

“We fought for these funds with a key goal in mind: building stronger communities.”

“These projects represent exactly the kind of investments our constituents expect and deserve — targeted, responsible funding that delivers real benefits to our communities.”

“This is a task I take very seriously; in fact, it’s what I was sent to Washington to do — deliver for Marylanders and make critical investments.”

The checks have no monetary value. But they’re a priceless illustration for incumbents working to convince voters to send them back to Washington this fall. They show just how much bacon they’ve brought home.

No one in the pictures describes it that way, of course.

“These projects address a wide range of priorities but advance a singular goal — improving the quality of life in communities across our state,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said in a statement released by his office.

And that’s certainly true.

Yet between now and the fall elections, voters will see a lot of these checks, and the Congressionally Directed Spending they represent.

More commonly called “earmarks,” this kind of spending was restored in 2021 after being banned for a decade as too easily abused. Here’s how they work.

Once the president introduces a budget, members of Congress put out a call for proposals. State and local governments, as well as nonprofits, submit their hopes and dreams in dollar amounts. Individual members and their staff vet them over the summer.

House members could support up to 15 this year and posted their picks on their websites. There’s no overall limit on projects for senators. Funding is approved in appropriation bills.

Van Hollen’s office counted up $262 million in earmarks in fiscal 2026. Maryland’s senior senator, he’s a central figure in much of what the state gets.

Roll Call, a nonpartisan news site focused on Congress, ranked Van Hollen 16th this year among senators in securing earmarks for his state.

There’s money for crime labs, crime centers and crime prevention programs. There’s money for dispatch centers in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County.

There’s $2 million so the Maryland Department of Natural Resources can study blue catfish, an invasive species devouring the Chesapeake Bay.

There’s $6.5 million to design not one Army National Guard vehicle maintenance shop, but two — in Washington and Baltimore counties.

There’s $18 million for a burn facility to destroy ordnance at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head. And $20 million to replenish the Ocean City beach.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris asked for $95 million, more than any other Maryland member of the House. That makes sense.

Republicans control Congress, and Maryland’s lone Republican has an influential spot on the House Appropriations Committee.

He asked for fire trucks, sewage plants, dredging projects and revitalization funds to benefit communities across the 10 counties that make up his 1st District.

Harris won $55.6 million for those projects, according to Roll Call, making him the House’s 20th most successful member on securing earmarks.

One of his biggest wins was $8 million to upgrade the Eastern Shore’s freight rail service, an earmark co-sponsored by Van Hollen.

While the Democrat and the Republican both claim the success, they won’t be posing for photos together.

It’s politics.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Prince George’s County Democrat, asked for $85.7 million and secured $22.6 million.

His largest earmark was $6 million for upgrades at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, although that’s less than the $10 million he wanted.

Ivey’s successes might be the result of having a full-time staffer focus on earmarks, lining up compelling projects, or working well with other lawmakers, most importantly with Van Hollen.

After both houses complete their spending bills, the differences are worked out in a conference committee.

That’s why Van Hollen’s list of projects includes 31 in Prince George’s County totaling $39 million — some overlapping with what Ivey won, some separate.

“I fight every year for direct federal investments targeted where they can make a real difference in our communities,” Van Hollen said. “And this year I was proud to help deliver funding for projects in every Maryland county.”

Seven of Maryland’s 10-member congressional delegation are on this year’s ballot. Van Hollen, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and retiring U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer are not.

U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney probably has the toughest reelection fight, facing her predecessor, billionaire wine and liquor store chain founder David Trone, in the June Democratic primary.

She’s been making the rounds of her Western Maryland district, touting millions that she and the state’s senators got approved for sidewalks, sewers, a planetarium and biomedical research facilities.

Not all of the money is big, even if the fake checks are.

Van Hollen went to Crownsville in February with Alsobrooks and U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth to present a fake check to Leah Paley, executive director of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. It was part of $8 million for projects in the county.

County Executive Steuart Pittman was there, along with Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien and Del. Heather Bagnall, chair of the state legislative delegation.

They all stood for the photo, lined up and smiling next to the most common prop in politics. The $133,000 will buy a refrigerated truck for donation pickups.

Monday, the Democratic trio did it again, this time traveling to Columbia to celebrate $6 million for Howard County projects.

The earmarks process has started again.

President Donald Trump submitted his budget for fiscal 2027 on April 3, two months late. It shifts spending from domestic programs to defense, but months of deliberation lie ahead.

Maryland’s members of Congress have completed the application period. House members could ask for 20 earmarks this year.

Andy Harris is ready.

He’s asked for $123.4 million.