(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), America’s largest taxpayer watchdog group, today announced Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wa.) as its April "Porker of the Month."  Dicks received the dubious honor for earmarking $700,000 in two separate fiscal year 2000 appropriations bills for the Admiral Theater in his hometown of Bremerton, Washington.

"While Mr. Dicks has been diverting federal funds to this project for years, he outdid himself in fiscal year 2000 by double-dipping — getting funding for the theater in two separate appropriations bills," said CAGW President Thomas Schatz.

Mr. Dicks inserted $400,000 for the theater in the Department of Interior appropriations bill. Interior's major function is to manage federal lands, natural resources, and Indian affairs.  "It's anyone's guess how funding a local community theater fits this department's mission," Schatz said.

$300,000 went to the Admiral Theater in the form of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), earmarked in the appropriation for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  These block grants are supposed to go directly to the states to provide formula grants to aid low- and moderate-income households, eliminate urban blight, and meet emergency needs.  Mr. Dicks has said that this money will be spent for "new alterations to the Theater, including rigging and set-changing mechanisms required to attract more complex performances and programs."

"Rep. Dicks deserves this award for doubling the taxpayers' burden on this pet project, and just what the urban poor ordered," Schatz concluded.

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.