Byrd tops earmarkers list
By GLENN THRUSH
Politico
3/3/09
Taxpayers for Common Sense, a government spending watchdog, has released its breakdown of the biggest earmarkers.
Not surprisingly, former Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) tops the list.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Finance Committee and the Senate’s highest-profile critic of the bank bailouts, snagged the No. 2 spot, representing one of the nation’s poorest states — and a state where even the smallest tax hikes have to be submitted to a public vote. Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, a senior Republican on the Appropriations Committee’s transportation and housing subcommittee, was the third-largest recipient of earmarks.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought home around $26.6 million — only about half the bacon delivered to Kentucky by Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
Following are the top 20 Senate earmark recipients — 12 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
1. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.): $122,804,900
2. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.): $114,484,250
3. Kit Bond (R-Mo.): $85,691,491
4. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.): $76,899,425
5. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.): $75,908,475
6. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): $74,000,750
7. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa): $66,860,000
8. James Inhofe (R-Okla.): $53,133,500
9. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): $51,186,000
10. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii): $46,380,205
11. Patty Murray (D-Wash.): $39,228,250
12. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.): $36,547,100
13. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.): $36,161,125
14. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): $35,577,250
15. Robert Casey (D-Pa.): $27,169,750
16. Harry Reid (D-Nev.): $26,628,613
17. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.): $25,320,000
18. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.): $23,832,000
19. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.): $21,952,250
20. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), retired: $19,588,625
(Continued here.)
Politico
3/3/09
Taxpayers for Common Sense, a government spending watchdog, has released its breakdown of the biggest earmarkers.
Not surprisingly, former Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) tops the list.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Finance Committee and the Senate’s highest-profile critic of the bank bailouts, snagged the No. 2 spot, representing one of the nation’s poorest states — and a state where even the smallest tax hikes have to be submitted to a public vote. Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, a senior Republican on the Appropriations Committee’s transportation and housing subcommittee, was the third-largest recipient of earmarks.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought home around $26.6 million — only about half the bacon delivered to Kentucky by Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
Following are the top 20 Senate earmark recipients — 12 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
1. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.): $122,804,900
2. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.): $114,484,250
3. Kit Bond (R-Mo.): $85,691,491
4. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.): $76,899,425
5. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.): $75,908,475
6. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): $74,000,750
7. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa): $66,860,000
8. James Inhofe (R-Okla.): $53,133,500
9. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): $51,186,000
10. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii): $46,380,205
11. Patty Murray (D-Wash.): $39,228,250
12. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.): $36,547,100
13. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.): $36,161,125
14. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): $35,577,250
15. Robert Casey (D-Pa.): $27,169,750
16. Harry Reid (D-Nev.): $26,628,613
17. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.): $25,320,000
18. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.): $23,832,000
19. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.): $21,952,250
20. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), retired: $19,588,625
(Continued here.)
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1 Comments:
ARGH !
I don’t know which misunderstoood term upsets me more lately … “Socialist” or “Earmarks”.
IF you follow the cursing of John Kline, then no voter should ever vote for the people on the list. Using that logic, only those with Zero Dollars should get a get re-elected … therefore, voters should support Kerry, Conrad, Feingold, Pryor, Lincoln, Rockerfeller, McCaskill, Whitehouse, Stabenow, Carper and Menendez in their Senate election. Note : Also on the last years list with Zero Dollars are former Senators, Obama, Biden and Clinton. Amongst the Republicans includes former Senators Ted Stevens (yep) and Gordon Smith which obviously did not ensure there re-election. Others still in the Senate include McCain, DeMint, Coburn, Snowe, and Ensign, … that’s right there are more Democrats than Republicans that did not request earmarks.
So, if only voters would reject Senators Byrd, Shelby, Bond, et al, then all our fiscal problems would be resolved. WRONG. The Taxpayers for Common Sense report only considers if the Senator requested a “solo” earmark. In reality only seven senators (including Obama and McCain) failed to join with another member of Congress or the President to request the funding.
Earmarks is a process that defines which projects should be funded … it doesn’t eliminate wasteful government projects.
Minnesotans may want to know how our Senators performed. Norm Coleman is listed has having eight solo earmarks valued at $1,055,000 while Amy Klobuchar is listed as requesting six solo earmarks valued at $4,740,000. Coleman’s number seems low since previously the Taxpayers for Common Sense data indicated he had eleven projects at $10, 928,000.
No doubt that some of these earmarks are wasteful spending, but to tag these Senators as the Taxpayers for Common Sense has done is misinform the reader.
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