CAGW Identifies Record $22.9 Billion in Pork; 2004 Pig Book Exposes Appropriators' Disregard for Deficit 4/7/2004
From: Mark Carpenter or Tom Finnigan, 202-467-5300, both of Citizens Against Government Waste, http://www.cagw.org WASHINGTON, April 7 -- At a news conference today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) unveiled the 2004 Congressional Pig Book, its annual compendium of pork-barrel projects. The total number of pork-projects hidden in the 13 appropriations bills, seven of which were lumped together into one omnibus spending bill and passed in January, is a record 10,656, 13 percent over last year's eye-popping total of 9,362. It is an increase of 384 percent over six years. Total pork-spending also increased to a record $22.9 billion, 1.6 percent higher than last year's historic high of $22.5 billion. Since CAGW issued its first Pig Book in 1991, it has documented more than $185.4 billion in pork. The 630 projects profiled in the Pig Book Summary will cost taxpayers more than $3.1 billion this year. "As Americans prepare their taxes, which are due next week, they should look at both parties in Congress with scorn," CAGW President Thomas A. Schatz said. "Republicans and Democrats alike have shown a total disregard for the $521 billion deficit and $7.1 trillion debt, and by doing so, a lack of respect for taxpayers. The money in the U.S Treasury belongs to all Americans, not elected officials who want to use it to pay for parochial projects in an effort to bolster their reelection campaigns. Our representatives and senators should be ashamed, especially the appropriators who are largely responsible for inserting many of these projects into the budget. In this time of war, too many elected officials are more interested in protecting their incumbency than in protecting the physical and financial security of the American people." "Congress once again failed in its most basic responsibility by not being able to approve a budget until almost one-third of the fiscal year had elapsed. When they finally reached an agreement in January, juicy morsels of pork went unnoticed and unquestioned. Now after sorting through the bills, we know the usual suspects- Sens. Stevens, Inouye, and Byrd-led the way to new heights of excess. They and many other members of Congress remain unrepentant in their abuses of power." Examples of pork from this year's Pig Book: -- $50 million for an indoor rainforest project in Coralville, Iowa. -- $18.5 million for the International Fund for Ireland. -- $15 million for dairy development programs overseas under the U.S. Agency of Intentional Development. -- $6.8 million in YMCA funding. -- $6.1 million for wood utilization research (Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia). -- $3 million for the First Tee Program in St. Augustine, Florida. -- $2.7 million for the Wood Education and Resource Center in West Virginia. -- $2.25 million in various Shakespeare-related funding. -- $2.2 million for North Pole, Alaska (pop. 1,570). -- $1.7 million for the International Fertilizer Development Center headquarted in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. -- $1.3 million for the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Montana. -- $725,000 for the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to develop educational programs focusing on hands-on learning experiences. -- $538,000 for the National Wild Turkey Federation in Edgefield, South Carolina. -- $500,000 for Anaheim Resort Transit (including Disneyland) buses in California. -- $300,000 for Rock and Roll-related pork including $200,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio and $100,000 for the Kids Rock Free Educational Program. -- $225,000 to rehabilitate the Deer Park Pool in Sparks, Nevada. -- $175,000 for the Wichita Art Museum. -- $100,000 to restore the historic Coca-Cola building in Macon, Ga. -- $100,000 for the Institute of International Sport to prevent youth crime. -- $50,000 for the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association in Anchorage to digitize files, photos, and videos of Alaska history. -- $50,000 for the Imaginarium Science Center in Anchorage, Alaska to develop science exhibits and distance delivery modules. -- $50,000 for the Saint Tikhon's Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania for the care and preservation of Russian artifacts in Pennsylvania. CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government. ------ (Copies of the Pig Book Summary are available upon request, or online at http://www.cagw.org .) |