CAGW Pork Alert:  Senate Transportation Appropriations Bill

(Washington, D.C.) — Instead of slimming down to fit into their fiscal suits, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee let it all hang out in the fiscal 2006 Senate Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act.  Appropriators dug in their forks and feasted on the bill, adding 874 pork projects totaling $1.28 billion.  Senators also filled the trough with $XX billion for XX programs that the president suggested eliminating or reducing.  Programs resurrected from the scrap pile include $150 million for the Revitalization of Severely Distressed Public Housing account (the HOPE VI Program), $25 million for the National Defense Tank Vessel Construction Program, and $24 million for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development. 

Perhaps most egregious about the transportation appropriations bill is that the committee included language to revise campaign finance laws.  A spending bill is not the proper place to legislate.

The Senate will vote on the bill soon.  Here is a sampling of the wasteful items included in the fiscal 2006 Transportation Appropriations Act:

Gravy Train.  The Senate added $1.45 billion for operation costs and capital requirements for Amtrak, a $1.09 billion increase over the president’s request of  $360 million.  The committee allotted the additional funds even though it noted that “Amtrak has operated at a deficit every single year since its inception in 1971” and has generated $35 billion in revenue and received roughly $28 billion in federal subsidies over the past 34 years.  Amtrak continues to run largely due to government subsidies.  Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for this gravy train any longer. 

Joint Efforts.  In an attempt to streamline drug control programs, the president suggested transferring the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and cutting its budget to $100 million.  Senate (and House) appropriators disregarded the fiscally-sound proposal by refusing to shift HIDTA to DOJ and funded the program at $227 million.  A joint effort should be made to reduce the budget, not fund wasteful and inefficient drug control programs.

Appalachian Development Highway System.  There was no budget request to fund the Appalachian Development Highway System, but the Senate threw in $80 million for the corridor.  Congress began funding the 13-state, 3,025-mile road system with the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965.  The highway system has helped boost the economy and tourism industry of the 13 states comprising the Appalachian Development Highway System.  Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) has long championed the road system, which passes through parts of West Virginia, but the roadway also runs through the states of six other appropriators:  Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.).  The seven senators comprise 25 percent of the entire Senate Appropriations Committee.   

Honorary Pork.  Senate Transportation/Treasury Appropriations subcommittee member Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) added $62.7 million for projects in his home state, including $500,000 for the University of Missouri for Hickman House preservation, renovation, and improvements; and $250,000 for the Winston Churchill Memorial in Fulton for construction and renovation.  This may not be Sen. Bond’s finest hour. 

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit.  Senate Transportation/Treasury Appropriations subcommittee member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has plunged his hands into taxpayers’ wallets for a myriad of questionable projects.   In the transportation/treasury appropriations bill, the senator grabbed a total of $60.5 million, including $20 million for rail safety and infrastructure improvements befitting passenger and freight operations of the Alaska Railroad, $14.2 million for the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and $450,000 for Bean’s Café in Anchorage for the expansion of its kitchen.  Maybe Sen. Stevens wants beans, beans, for every meal!

Modern Works of Art.  Senate Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) carved out $57.3 million for Washington state, including $500,000 for the Seattle Art Museum for construction of the Olympic Sculpture Park, $325,000 for the Urban League in Seattle for construction of the Northwest African American Museum, and $325,000 for the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle for an expansion project. 

Lone Star Pork.  Senate Transportation/Treasury Appropriations subcommittee member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) roped in $54.2 million for Texas, including $628,266 for Standard Terminal Automation Replacement (STARS) facility upgrades and design:  $109,266 for Midland; $80,425 for Grand Prairie; $78,250 for Dallas Love Field; $78,250 for Fort Worth Alliance; $70,854 for Forth Worth Meachum; $70,407 for Dallas Fort Worth Center; $70,407 for Dallas Fort Worth East; and $70,407 for Dallas Fort Worth West.

If you’re going to San Francisco…  Be sure to see all the items your tax dollars paid for, including $10 million for the San Francisco Muni Third Street light rail project, $200,000 for the San Francisco Fine Arts Museum for the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum construction, and $200,000 for the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Old Mint Restoration Project.  In total, Senate appropriator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) transported $37.7 million for projects in California.

Frequent Flyer Miles.  Senate Transportation/Treasury Appropriations subcommittee member Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) is racking up frequent flyer miles by repeatedly dipping into the federal coffers to pay for Illinois projects.  The senator grabbed $36.7 million for his home state, including $12 million for Chicago Midway International Airport, $4.9 million for Central Illinois Regional Airport, and $2.2 million for Champaign terminal air traffic control facilities replacement.

Choking the Treasury.  The Senate Appropriations Committee added $18,800 to install a smoking booth at Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, New Jersey. 

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