PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: Ryan stops vote on bringing back earmarks.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday convinced Republicans to postpone votes on bringing back legislative earmarks until 2017 after reminding members of Donald Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” of Washington.

House Republicans were set to hold a secret ballot on changes to their internal conference rules that would have allowed lawmakers to direct spending to projects in their districts, under certain circumstances.

Based on what lawmakers were saying in the meeting, “it was likely that an earmark amendment would have passed,” according to a source in the room.

“Ultimately, the Speaker stepped in and urged that we not make this decision today,” the source said.

Behind former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Republicans banned earmarks after winning the House in 2010, and have stuck by that policy despite grumbling from both sides of the aisle.

With the GOP now set to control Congress and the White House next year, some Republicans are agitating for change.

Reps. John Culberson of Texas, Mike Rogers of Alabama and Tom Rooney of Florida filed an amendment to GOP rules that would ease the earmark ban by creating a new process for targeted spending.

Remember those names, but for now, it’s another PorkBusters victory!