For Immediate Release                Daytime contact: Alexa Moutevelis 202-467-5318
September 15, 2006                    After hours contact: Tom Finnigan 202-253-3852

CAGW Names 171 Representatives Who Voted Against Earmark Reform Porkers of the Month 

Washington, D.C. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named all 171 members of Congress who voted against the disclosure of earmarks Porkers of the Month.  On September 14, the House voted 245-171 for an internal rule change (H. Res. 1000) that requires all earmarks and their sponsors to be identified in spending, tax, and authorization bills. 

“This is a serious step toward opening up the earmarking process,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “Much remains to be done to end the abuse of earmarks, but that is no reason for voting against what is clearly an improvement over the status quo.”

Of the 171 votes against the resolution, 147 were from Democrats, many protesting that the new rule would not do enough.  However, Democrats purposefully packed their own amendment with regulations until it was certain to fail, even within their own party.  Changes to House rules would only be in effect through the end of the current Congress, although House leaders have indicated that it would be renewed at the start of the new term.  The House rule would also have no effect on the Senate’s earmark procedure, but the House changes are already helping to spur similar action in the Senate.

Twenty-two of the 24 nay votes from Republicans were members of the Appropriations Committee, infamous for its swollen earmarks, although not all on the committee opposed the measure.  Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) had complained that the new requirement singled out appropriations bills but said that he would not whip the vote.  Most earmarks are anonymously slipped into spending bills by individual appropriators without debate.  The 2006 Congressional Pig Book identified 9,963 pork projects costing a record $29 billion in the fiscal 2006 appropriations bills.

Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) called the rules change a “trivial pursuit” and Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.) called it “shameful” and “a sham.”  What is shameful is voting to oppose even the slightest exposure of the earmark process.  Ironically, most of the “nay” voters undoubtedly have long lists of pet projects proudly displayed on their web sites. 

Partisan politics and self-interest clearly influenced what should be an easy vote for transparency and accountability.  For ignoring taxpayers’ outrage over the waste and corruption of pork-barrel spending, CAGW names the 171 ‘nay’ voters Porkers of the Month for September 2006.

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.

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