By , ,
Published December 24, 2015
In the next 16 days, Congress will spend more than $3 trillion in taxpayer money. To cover these programs, some Americans will be working up to three hours of each day.
Vast amounts of that money will be spent in the form of earmarks, specially designated pet projects that members of Congress use to bring federal funds back to their home states. Since 44 congressmen make no earmarks at all, that means the rest are doing more than their share. For example, in the House, just 4 percent of members took home 32 percent of all the bacon -- and all were members of the Defense Appropriations Committee.
With Washington bleeding green, some congressmen -- the princes of pork -- are treating you like a giant ATM and can't spend your money fast enough.
In the last two years, the self-described earmark king, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, has sponsored earmarks totaling $2 billion dollars. This year he's at it again:
Inouye is one of the last of a generation of unapologetic earmarkers who feel it's their job to bring federal dollars home. And when they reach Inouye's level of seniority -- he is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee -- they can bring home a lot. He once even appropriated $20 million for a museum where he was chairman.
VIDEO: $5 million robotic sailboat earmark
The top Republican spender, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, made waves in 2009 with the largest earmark ever -- $439 million to restore barrier islands off the Mississippi coast, a giant project that comes on top of $80 billion that taxpayers have already forked over to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
This year (in fiscal year 2009), Cochran helped sponsor 259 earmarks worth $1.2 billion, but he's now aiming for a dubious distinction: he wants $2.6 billion for 2010 -- a record for a single politician:
Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., earmarked $120 million this year, and wants another $148 million for 2010:
But where the retired Marine really makes a dent is the defense industry. If the Pentagon rejects a project, contractors turn to Murtha.
Here are some examples of companies that gave Murtha campaign money -- and the earmarks he requested on their behalf.
Client Earmark Amount Campaign Contribution
MTS $5 million (combat vehicle) $29,900
Trident Systems $5 million (radar) $13,500
Advanced Acoustics $5 million (submarine navigation) $42,000
Argon ST $8 million (torpedo defense) $46,000
Planning Systems $2.3 million (portable radar) $24,450
The No. 2 porker in the house, Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., has secured $104 million in earmarks this year, including:
Young's 2010 totals appear to be smaller:
But Young, too, has received significant contributions from earmark recipients:
Client Earmark Amount Campaign Contribution
Alliant Tech $5 million (missile warning) $7,500
Honeywell $2 million (minuteman 2) $11,000
SAIC $3 million (communications) $12,250
SRI Int. $4 million (port security) $7,300
Raytheon $6 million (naval warfare) $11,850
While the connections may not look good, there is no evidence of wrongdoing, and giving money to a politician is not against the law.
Watch FOX News for more from our continuing series, "Tracking Your Taxes," which keeps an eye on government waste.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tracking-your-taxes-the-earmark-kings