Local projects infiltrate War Supplemental

(Washington, DC) -- The more than 45,600 members of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) in Pennsylvania today chastised the Senate for impeding the passage of the War Supplemental Appropriations bill by loading its version with pork-barrel projects unrelated to the war.  The bill was eventually passed and signed into law after members of the House fought to reduce the amount of unrelated projects from $675 million to $355 million.  In particular, CCAGW strongly criticized the actions of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) throughout the debate and after the bill was approved.

“The actions and comments by Sen. Specter were a disgrace to the war effort and the people of Pennsylvania,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “To insert provisions for personal gain into a bill that was supposed to solely fund the War with Iraq and protect homeland security, and then claim that it is related to that cause goes to show how some members of Congress have no shame when feasting on pork.”

One amendment sponsored by Sen. Specter removes wording that limits the number of mailings senators can send to their constituents in counties of less than 250,000 people.  Specter defended his actions by stating, “This is directly related to the war effort.  Meeting with the people of Pennsylvania is an important part of our jobs, including informing them of the war effort.  It’s really laughable to suggest that this is anything but a minuscule change.”

“What is laughable is to suggest that the people of Pennsylvania need town meetings to be updated on the war,” Schatz continued.  “When every cable news station is covering the war 24/7, not to mention the availability of the Internet and newspapers, the average citizen does not need town meetings to receive war updates.  This is not 1776, when news took days to travel.  This is an obvious effort by the Senator to use his incumbency to his advantage when seeking reelection.”

Other non-defense related items from Pennsylvania in the War Supplemental bill include: $1,000,000 for the Geisinger Health System in Harrisburg to establish centers for excellence for the treatment of autism, $231,000 for abstinence education in Allentown, $200,000 for the improvement of a homeless shelter in Pittsburgh, and $100,000 for the Regional Learning Alliance in Marshall Township.

“Luckily, many of the other pork items that some senators tried to get included in the supplemental appropriations bill were removed in conference before final passage,” Schatz concluded.  “We hope that in the future, representatives and senators, including Sen. Specter, will be able to abstain from pork and keep in mind the interest of the entire nation.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.