Omnibus Pork Alert 7: CAGW's Pork Patrol(SM) Takes Closer Look at Fiscal 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act

1/15/2004

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

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- It's been more than 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 passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal 2004 (H.R. 2673) on Dec. 8, 2003, consisting of seven of the thirteen spending bills. However, the Senate is not expected to take action on the bill until January 20 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, according to Citizens Against Government Waste. Here are some examples of the pork in H.R. 2673:

-- $1,000,000 added in conference for the Akutan Ferry Planning and design in Alaska;

-- $1,000,000 added by the House for the Amherst County Greenway in Fla.;

-- $500,000 for the Pittsburgh Water Taxi in Pa.;

-- $500,000 added by the Senate for the Montana Sheep Institute;

-- $400,000 added by the House for Governor Curtis Ferry Boat Replacement in Maine;

-- $300,000 added by the House for the Operation Oak program to restore hardwoods in the South in cooperation with the National Wild Turkey Federation;

-- $250,000 added by the House for potato research in Aberdeen, Idaho;

-- $250,000 added by the House for the Molokai Agriculture Committee in Hawaii;

-- $225,000 added by the House for air quality in Pullman, Wash.; and

-- $150,000 added by the House for Rossie Coats Road in Kemper County, Miss.

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.