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Despite Talk of Cuts, Members of Congress Push More Spending

March 12, 2013 | TIME | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

Like many House Republicans, Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho supports “drastically reducing discretionary spending” and warns that further growth... Read More

The Truth-O-Meter Says: Al Cardenas says of $60B Congress approved after Hurricane Sandy, ‘only 10 percent was for disaster relief’

March 07, 2013 | PolitiFact | Earmarks & Appropriations

In the weeks since Congress approved aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy, conservatives have explained their opposition by saying the bill... Read More

Even without earmarks, Merkley’s Senate Appropriations Committee post is still a plum position

March 04, 2013 | Statesman Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

WASHINGTON — Though freshman Sen. Jeff Merkley snagged a spot on the coveted Senate Appropriations Committee, he won’t have a perk that... Read More

Lautenberg Has Plenty of Fight Left in Him

February 19, 2013 | The Wall Street Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

PATERSON, N.J.—Sen. Frank Lautenberg gladly recounts his uniquely American story: son of an impoverished silk-mill worker; World War II... Read More

End of earmarks caused area water projects to dry up

February 19, 2013 | St. Louis Post | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

WASHINGTON • For decades, members of Congress used earmarks to direct the Army Corps of Engineers on which water projects to build, and... Read More

Congressmen wary of ‘wasteful, unrelated’ hurricane spending

February 13, 2013 | PhillyBurbs.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

One month after voting in support of a $60 billion relief package for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, some lawmakers in Bucks and Burlington... Read More

Fiscal reform needs accountability, less agency overlap

Government fiscal reform needs to come in the form of accountability, prioritizing by need and training if long term success is to be seen,... Read More

Claire McCaskill re-introduces Earmark Elimination Act in Senate

February 11, 2013 | University of Missouri - Maneater | Earmarks & Appropriations

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., re-introduced bipartisan legislation that would permanently ban earmark spending in Congress. The Earmark... Read More

Rethinking Our Place In A Post-Hurricane Sandy World

February 08, 2013 | Forbes | Earmarks & Appropriations

The financial sting from Hurricane Sandy lingers, but it is encouraging to see more businesses and policymakers embracing bold measures to... Read More

Even Without Earmarks, Tax Breaks And Special Deals Fill Bills

February 08, 2013 | NPR - Morning Edition | Earmarks & Appropriations

Congress likes to say it no longer does earmarks, the provisions that direct federal dollars to serve local interests or campaign... Read More

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Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All

September 13, 2013

Syria: Excuse 535 To Not Cut the Deficit

Volume XVIII No. 37 Possible action in Syria has become the most recent excuse du jour for Pentagon boosters... Read More