News

This year, there are no mariachi music programs, indoor rainforests or teapot museums receiving federal funding.

But that doesn't mean Congress has absolutely kicked the earmark habit, according Citizens for Government Waste, which released its 2007 "Pig Book" Wednesday.

The nonprofit group credited U.S. Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., for blocking nine appropriations bills in December that led to a moratorium on earmarks. "This year's Pig Book breaks a run of seven consecutive years of record dollar amounts of pork," the group said in a statement.

Still, it found a few things to squeal about, such as a $5.5 million defense grant so The Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center can research the effects of alcohol and drug abuse on the brain. "There is no mention of any defense-related research," the group's statement said. "Apparently, they will serve no pork before its time."

It also criticized a $1.65 million grant to improve the shelf life of vegetables. The group noted Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., had said the project "will help our troops in the field get fresh tomatoes."

And the nonpartisan organization also criticized the 29 percent growth in port security grants, which totalled $225 million. While those protecting Charleston's port will get a slice of that money, the group noted that ports in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., Arkansas and Ludington, Mich., will as well.


Date Title
3/30/07 Coburn Health Care Plan Involves Rebates, Prevention
3/30/07 Candidates Help Keep Convention Aid in Bill
3/29/07 Security Funds on Track; U.S. Senate Keeps Denver Money for DNC in Bill
3/29/07 Senate's Final Passage of $122B War Supplemental in Sight
3/29/07 Opinion: Senate's Bold Proposal for Iraq: Sugar Beets and Rural Schools -- in the U.S.
3/29/07 Editorial: Smell of Pork Again Wafting from Capitol
3/29/07 Coburn Blocks Measure
3/29/07 Earmark Monitor's Exit Baffles, Troubles GOP
3/28/07 War on Terror's Local Front: The Battle of the Budget Bill
3/27/07 Senate War Bill Features $20B in Pork
3/27/07 Senate Starts War Spending Debate
3/27/07 In McConnell Tactic, Veto Pen
3/27/07 McConnell: Get the Veto Over With
3/27/07 Pet Projects Tough to Trim from Iraq Spending Bill
3/27/07 Senate ‘emergency’ war bill has almost $20 billion in domestic spending tacked onto it
3/26/07 Coburn Targets Spending On Nominating Conventions
3/26/07 Congress Puts Its Marker on Iraq War, but How Big?
3/26/07 Bronze Stars, golden memories
3/26/07 Opinion: Earmark Cover-Up
3/23/07 Leahy Gets OK to Subpoena Rove; Sampson Hesitates on Testimony
3/23/07 Republican Rx
3/22/07 Britons desert private medical insurance market
3/22/07 Coburn Offers Plan on Health Coverage
3/22/07 Saying No to Pork - Sen. Tom Coburn Wants to Stop Frivolous Government Spending
3/22/07 Watchdog Works with Agency to Make Feds’ Largest Database
3/19/07 Opinion: Democrats practice deviance with earmarks – Will Bush act?
3/16/07 Reauthorization of Health Act Vowed by Senate Committee
3/16/07 Senate Panel Jointly Looks at Safety Bill and PDUFA
3/16/07 Opinion: Pigs Close to Home - Fighting state excess
3/16/07 State's Senators Blame Politics
3/15/07 Tighter Border Will Boost 'Guest Worker' Plan's Chances, Bush Says
3/15/07 Senate Judiciary Authorizes Subpoenas for DOJ
3/15/07 Loophole in Gift Ban Allows Government-Funded Freebies
3/14/07 'Mistakes' Made on Prosecutors, Gonzales Admits
3/14/07 Senate Nixes Grant Accountablity Measure
3/13/07 Bureaucracy in the Spotlight During Sunshine Week
3/13/07 Gonzales’ Support in Congress Shaky
3/13/07 Senate Kills Two Amendments, Nears Passage Of 9/11 Bill
3/12/07 Earmarks data now set to go online in phases
3/12/07 The Great American Earmark Scramble
3/9/07 Senate Foils Attempt to Remove Interoperability Grant Program
3/9/07 Less Pork-Barrel Spending by Congress This Year
3/9/07 Final Vote on Homeland Security Legislation Expected Tuesday
3/8/07 Health costs will surge without better prevention
3/8/07 Pig Report Says Lawmakers On A Diet
3/8/07 Current record
3/8/07 Opinion: Watch Out, It’s Pork Season for Congress
3/8/07 Limits Placed on Screeners' Union Rights
3/8/07 Lobbying Lawmakers, Federal Agencies Wins Universities Goodies
3/8/07 Universities get free pass on new House ethics rules
3/7/07 Opinion: Don’t Pig Out-The Time for Celebration Has Not Yet Come
3/5/07 Bill would put brakes on DTS’ travel portion
3/5/07 TSA head said collective bargaining would be costly
3/5/07 Dr. Coburn's Interview with "ChurchReport.com"
3/5/07 Spring markup likely in Senate for Tobacco regulation measure
3/5/07 Opinion: RR Loan - The Little Engine that luckily didn’t
3/4/07 Opinion: WWII hero's service didn't stop with combat: ONLY IN OKLAHOMA
3/3/07 Editorial: Bill to track spending is a good move
3/2/07 Health care top domestic concern in U.S.: poll
3/2/07 Opinion: The Lost Window of Opportunity
3/2/07 New Bicameral Conservative Group Forming