(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today joined four other conservative organizations in criticizing the out of control spending in supplemental appropriations.  President Bush requested $92 billion in emergency spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane recovery.  The House passed a $92 billion bill last month, while the Senate will consider a $106.5 billion version today.

“The Senate supplemental bill is yet another example of Congress’s excessive spending and addiction to pork barrel projects,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “The Senate has added $14 billion to the President’s spending request, very little of which is related to Iraq, Afghanistan, or Hurricane Katrina.”

Supplemental appropriations bills are exempt from spending caps and other budget controls.  The definition of “emergency” spending has expanded to become a convenient excuse for congressional profligacy.  Both the House and Senate bills include funding for items unrelated to war and hurricane recovery.  The Senate bill includes $700 million to relocate the newly repaired CSX rail line, $594 for highway spending mostly unrelated to Hurricane Katrina, and $20 million for AmeriCorps.

“Members of Congress are using emergency spending as a way to slip in projects along with other politically ‘must-pass’ legislation and have it not ‘count’ towards federal spending figures,” Schatz said.  “A good step towards reigning in spending is to remove the pork and bloat from the final version of this supplemental and to move forward with budget reforms. The proposed line item veto and biennial budgeting will help prevent the routine abuse of the emergency ‘loophole.’”

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