(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), America’s largest taxpayer watchdog group, announced today that Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) earned its June “Porker of the Month” Award.  Kennedy’s long history of military pork and corporate welfare reached new heights recently when he earmarked $85 million taxpayer dollars in the fiscal 2001 Defense Appropriations Bill for projects benefiting high-dollar defense contractors in his congressional district.

The largest beneficiary of these earmarks was the Raytheon Corporation, including $14 million for the SPS-73 Surface Search Radar, a project which was not requested by the Pentagon.  The other projects, $24 million for cold weather gear and $3.7 million for medical research at Rhode Island Hospital, were “zeroed out” in the Administration’s budget, meaning that the Pentagon specifically requested that these projects receive no funding. 

"Porking up the budget to benefit corporate interests is not uncommon among legislators,” said Thomas A. Schatz, President of Citizens Against Government Waste, “Yet Kennedy manages to stand out by unashamedly touting his dedication to local contractors over America’s defense priorities.” 

“I made Raytheon my top priority for the defense budget, and I am delighted to see these numbers reflect that effort,” bragged Kennedy in a recent press release. 

“Does anyone remember when a Congressman’s top priority for the defense budget was to defend America rather than to fatten the pockets of his local defense contractors?” Schatz asked.  “At a time when some enlisted men and women in our armed forces live in substandard housing and must use food stamps to feed their families, Rep. Kennedy endeavors to use the defense budget as a slush fund for home-state corporate welfare.”

CAGW's "Porker of the Month" award is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.  Recipients of the award are listed on an online "Hall of Shame," located at CAGW's website, www.cagw.org.  Past recipients of the award include First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

For more information, see CAGW's web site at www.cagw.org.  CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.