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If one thing is clear from Citizens Against Government Waste’s new Pig Book, it’s that Obama war on pork was a big clunker.The non-partisan group counted $16.5 billion in congressional earmarks for FY2010.
Pork is down 10% from last year, but “it’s still above the historical average, and it’s still not at the level that President Obama promised when he took office, which is $7.8 billion,” said CAGW president Tom Schatz.
There’s still plenty of ridiculous, obnoxious pork.
Here’s the worst of this year’s Pig Book >
Hidden in: Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act
Porker: Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.)
From the Pig Book: $50,000 by House appropriator Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) for the Pulaski County Sheriff Department for helicopter improvements.
Hidden in: Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act
Porker: Rep. James Moran (D-Va.)
From the Pig Book: $98,257 by House appropriator James Moran (D-Va.) in SBA money for the Georgetown Metro Connection, a bus service that runs from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. to the neighbourhood of Dupont Circle in D.C. and to Rosslyn, Virginia, conveniently located in Rep. Moran's district.
Hidden in: Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act
Porker: Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.)
From the Pig Book: $200,000 by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) for the Providence Holy Cross Foundation tattoo removal violence prevention program in Mission Hills. In fiscal 2002 there was a $50,000 earmark for a tattoo removal program in San Luis Obispo, in the district of Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.). It is now time for a pork removal program.
Hidden in: Interior appropriations
Porker: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
From the Pig Book: $13,650,000 for nine projects by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), including: $7,000,000 for the James Campbell Wildlife Refuge; $750,000 for the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology; $500,000 for the Native Hawaiian culture and arts program; and $300,000 for the Royal Mausoleum (Mauna 'Ala), the final resting place for most of Hawaiian royalty. According to several online resources, Mauna 'Ala is the only place in Hawaii where the state flag flies alone without the U.S. flag.
Hidden in: Military Construction Appropriation
Porkers: Reps. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.)
From the Pig Book: $500,000 by Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee member Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) for the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial in Marnes-La-Coquette, France. Established in 1930, the Lafayette Escadrille is a monument dedicated to the U.S. pilots who flew for France prior to America's entry in World War I.
Hidden in: Energy and Water Appropriations Act
Porkers: Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
From the Pig Book: $951,500 by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and House appropriator Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) for downtown Detroit energy efficient street lighting. That's the least of the city's problems.
Hidden in: DOD Appropriations Act
Porkers: Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam)
From the Pig Book: $1,240,000 for two projects for Brown Tree Snakes control and interdiction in Guam by Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam). Since 1996, 14 projects worth $14.6 million have been earmarked in Hawaii and Guam for interdiction of Brown Tree Snakes, which are still slithering through the appropriations bill.
Hidden in: Transportation/Housing and Urban Development
Porker: Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.)
From the Pig Book: $1,900,000 by then-Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service project. In 1996, a fire destroyed a bridge providing access to the beach, near Bridgeport and Stratford. Although patrons can still walk to the beach from Stratford or row to it from Bridgeport, some community activists say a water taxi is needed. Stratford mayor James Miron doesn't think so. He told the Stratford Star there's no support for the bridge and the local government's priority should be Bridgeport schools.
Hidden in: DOD Appropriations Act
Porker: Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.)
From the Pig Book: $114,800,000 for 53 projects by House defence Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Bill Young (R-Fla.), including: $4,500,000 for comprehensive maritime domain awareness, $2,400,000 for the Air Warrior-Joint Service Vacuum Packed Life Raft, and four projects for $4,200,000 for a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in Florida.
Hidden in: Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act
Porker: Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
From the Pig Book: $32,950,000 for 17 projects by Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee member Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), including: $7,100,000 for NOAA for the conservation and recovery of endangered Hawaiian sea turtle populations; $2,600,000 for NOAA for the conservation and recovery of the critically endangered monk seal population and conservation of Pacific crustaceans; $2,000,000 for the Imiloa Astronomy centre of Hawaii for the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii; $1,750,000 for the International Pacific Research centre at the University of Hawaii to conduct systematic and reliable climatographic research of the Pacific region; $1,500,000 for NOAA to create and implement an integrated system-wide ocean science education program piloted in Hawaii's schools; $1,250,000 for the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at the University of Hawaii to conduct research on open ocean fisheries in the Pacific Ocean; and $700,000 for NOAA for the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative at the University of Hawaii to support monitoring and research activities on Hawaii's coral reefs.
Hidden in: Military Construction Appropriation
Porkers: Congressmen in Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky
From the Pig Book: $44,230,000 for six projects funding chapels: $17,500,000 by House Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Chet Edwards (D-Texas) and House Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee member John Carter (R-Texas) for a chapel with an education centre at Fort Hood; $11,600,000 by Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) for a chapel at Fort Bragg; $6,800,000 by then-Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.) for a chapel centre at Fort Rucker; $4,200,000 by Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee member Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and then-Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.) for Phase Two of a chapel complex at Fort Leavenworth; $3,500,000 by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) for a chapel complex at Fort Leonard Wood; and $630,000 by Senate appropriators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Sens. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), House appropriator Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), and Reps. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) and Edward Whitfield (R-Ky.) for a chapel centre in Fort Campbell.
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