Sen. Mitch McConnell (@Sustain05/Twitter)

This kickback would raise the debt and would fund the Olmsted Locks and Dam (located between Kentucky and Illinois) for $2.9 billion. A democratic aidein the White House said to the Washington Post that this kickback would  “cost taxpayers  an additional $80 million over the next six months, and $160 million if the project were terminated for one year.”

“In exchange for funding ObamaCare and raising the debt limit, Mitch McConnell has secured a $2 billion earmark,” the group wrote in a statement. “This is an insult to all the Kentucky families who don’t want to pay for ObamaCare and don’t want to shoulder any more debt.”

Despite the accusatiosn, McConnell's office denied the senator having any role in this situation, and deferred the accusations to the White House and Senate committee leaders, such as Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Ca.) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).

Senate staff members mentioned a bipartisan support involving the project’s funding. Additionally, the provision raises the cap for the amount Congress could allocate later. President Barack Obama asked for it in his 2014 budget, and both the House and the Senate had passed bills allowing the increase this year.

Reach Executive Producer Shilpa Nagesh here. Follow her on Twitter.