Omnibus Pork Alert: CAGW's Pork Patrol(SM) Takes Another Closer Look at Fiscal 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act

12/16/2003

From: Mark Carpenter/Tom Finnigan, 202-467-5300, both of Citizens Against Government Waste; web: http://www.cagw.org

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Following is a statement of Citizens Against Government Waste:

It's been three months since the start of fiscal 2004, and what a surprise, Congress has yet to finish the appropriations process. Though they have missed their appropriations deadline and are faced with a $500 billion deficit, members are finding the time to pile on the pork. The House recently passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal 2004 (H.R. 2673), which consists of seven of the thirteen spending bills. However, the Senate is not expected to take action on the bill until January 20th when it reconvenes after a lengthy holiday recess. The 1,448-page bill totals $820 billion and is stuffed to the brim with parochial projects. Here are some examples of the pork in H.R. 2673:

-- $1,000,000 added by the Senate for the State of Michigan for costs associated with the relocation of the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum;

-- $1,000,000 added by the House for facilities construction for Tampa Bay Watch in Florida;

-- $750,000 added by the Senate for Montgomery County, Maryland for pedestrian linkages in Silver Spring;

-- $400,000 added in conference for the Davenport Music History Museum in Davenport, Iowa;

-- $300,000 added by the Senate for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in Illinois for restoration of the Chicago Cultural Center Domes;

-- $250,000 added by the Senate for the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage for improvements;

-- $220,000 added by the Senate for the University of Maine (Jonesboro and Orono), Blueberry Hill Farm to renovate the blueberry research facility;

-- $100,000 added by the House for North Star Productions, Inc. in Bracken County, Kentucky for construction of an amphitheatre;

-- $75,000 added in conference for the Fender Museum of the Arts Foundation, Corona, Calif., for the Kids Rock Free Educational program; and

-- $50,000 added by the Senate for the YMCA of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas for facility renovations.

CAGW will provide continuing updates on pork in the omnibus spending bill. For more information, please visit: http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_porkbarrelreport.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.