Lawmakers throw money around faster than Regis Philbin

(Washington, D.C.) — Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), America's largest taxpayer watchdog group, today expressed outrage at the pork-laden budget deal between President Clinton and Congressional Republicans.

"Congress and the President have just set a new record for pork-barrel spending," said CAGW President Thomas Schatz.  "This year's appropriations bills contain hundreds of earmarks worth millions of dollars each.  These people throw money around faster than Regis Philbin.  Sadly, the big losers in this political game show are the taxpayers."

CAGW has determined that the fiscal 2000 appropriations bills contain the highest level of earmarked federal spending in history.  The eight appropriations bills passed individually contained more than $14.6 billion in earmarks.  This alone is enough to set an all-time pork-barrel record.  Yet it doesn't even count the five appropriations bills that were rolled into an omnibus bill at the last moment.  If previous versions of these bills are any indication, they are also chock full of earmarks.

Among this year's pork-barrel millionaires was Texas Tech University, which won $1 million for the Garden Machine Program, an experiment on growing vegetables in outer space.  Perhaps the biggest prize went to Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.).  He added $375 million to this year's defense appropriations bill for a $1.5 billion helicopter carrier that the Pentagon doesn't want for another six years.

House Appropriator David Price (D-N.C.) is responsible for the most ironically porcine earmark identified by CAGW, a $500,000 gift to North Carolina State University for the study of swine waste management.  "If you're a taxpayer, this project stinks," quipped Schatz.

Schatz warned taxpayers to be wary of politicians of both parties crowing about how much money they've saved.  "This is the biggest pork-barrel giveaway in history.  The only reason the budget is balanced is an incredibly strong economy sending a flood of tax dollars into Washington.  Politicians are playing an expensive game with people's money."

"Congress and the President should give their 'winnings' back to the taxpayers.  And that's our final answer!" Schatz concluded.

CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.