What: Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is charging House Republicans with pushing through 113 earmarks worth $841 million in a defense spending bill that has yet to come to a vote.

How: McCaskill alleged that GOP leaders established slush funds to offset spending for pet projects and actively assisted lawmakers in setting amendments that got little or no debate.

Denial: Republican representatives claimed those amendments aren’t “earmarks” because they aren’t tied to specific districts and require the Pentagon to issue contracts to the lowest bidder.