The Congressional Pig Book in Focus
April 14, 2010 was not just the day before tax day; it wasalso the day when hard-working taxpayers got the news that$16.5 billion of their taxeswas wasted on pork-barrel earmarks with the unveiling of Citizen Against Government Waste’s (CAGW) annual expose of pork-barrel spending, the 2010 Congressional Pig Book.
2010 also marked the 20th anniversary of the Congressional Pig Book. At the press conference presenting the results of this year’s Pig Book, the room was packed with national media outlets, CAGW’s stalwart mascot, and a group of anti-pork politicians, including: Sens.Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.),and Tom Price (R-Ga.). As usual, the event featured live pigs, Winnie and Dudley, who have been regular guests for most of the past decade. Sen. McCain,a consistent and hard-line foe of earmarks, praised CAGW and the Congressional Pig Bookby saying: “You have made a difference and you have given us ammunition to use when we go home to our constituents and make them understand how pernicious and corruptingthis process of earmarking is.”
The 2010 Congressional Pig Bookpress conference occurred on Capitol Hill and was covered by major nationalnews outlets including: ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN,C-SPAN, and FOX. In the 48 hours following the event, mentions of CAGW’s Pig Book wereubiquitous ontelevision screens, radio airways, blogs, in print, and over the Internet. The Pig Book, received more than 600 television mentions alone, including an extensive segment on ABC’s Good Morning America and on CNN.com. Hundreds of radio and print pieces have appeared in subsequent weeks. Nationally syndicated columnists Cal Thomas and Debra Saunders both wrote articles highlighting the Congressional Pig Book.
Wasteful earmarked spending is on the radar of many Americans, especially in light of the rising Tea Party movement. The 2010 Congressional Pig Book did not disappoint in highlighting pork-barrel earmarks with9,129 projects worth $16.5 billion,which represent a 10.2 percent decline from the 10,160 projects identified in fiscal year (FY) 2009and 15.5 percent decrease in cost from the $19.6 billion in pork in FY 2009. While there was less pork this year, it was no less wasteful and included: $4,841,000 for wood utilization research, $400,000 for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, $300,000 for Carnegie Hall in New York City, and $200,000 for the Washington National Opera in the District of Columbia. Sen. Thad Cochran (R- Miss.) was for the third year in a rowCongress’ biggest porker,obtaining 240 projects worth $490 million.
Congress has begun to winnow earmarks from the budget and implemented modesttransparency reforms. On March 11, 2010, the House Republican Caucus adopted a unilateral ban on earmarks for FY 2011, and House Democrats have agreed to prohibit earmarks to for-profit entities. However,inaction in the Senate indicates that pork will remain on the menu in Congress. In other words, look for anotherCongressional Pig Book for FY2011.
— MacMillin Slobodien
