Boehner amendment to Labor/HHS/Education Appropriation

would have ended giveaway to corrupt foundation.

(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), America's largest taxpayer watchdog group, today thanked Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) for offering an amendment to the fiscal 2001 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Bill that would have ended federal payments from the Native Hawaiian Education Programs to the Bishop Estate Trust.  The amendment failed 220 to 202.

Founded to help educate the Hawaiian Islands' native children, the Bishop Trust is now the richest charitable trust in the United States.  Despite the trust's $10 billion in assets and the lavish benefits it has traditionally bestowed upon its trustees, the Bishop Estate Trust has spent less than $100 million a year on the education of Hawaii's native students, while U.S. taxpayers are paying the Bishop Trust more than $20 million every year via the Native Hawaiian Education Programs.  

"We are disappointed that the House failed to adopt this amendment," said CCAGW President Thomas Schatz.  "Our members are shocked that Congress would send $20 million in taxpayer money to a $10 billion foundation every year.  That's pure pork.  But it's even worse when the foundation spends so little on its mission to educate children and so much on giveaways to its trustees.  John Boehner should be congratulated for once again taking up the fight against wasteful government spending."

This is not the first time CCAGW  has taken issue with the Bishop Estate Trust.  The 2000 Congressional Pig Book Summary criticizes Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) for earmarking $2.5 million out of the Space Science budget for the Bishop Museum.  "The Bishop Estate seems to be a pork magnet," Schatz said.  "Responsible legislators in both houses and both parties must follow John Boehner's lead and vote to eliminate taxpayer funding of such boondoggles."

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.