The TCS analysis and database of the House FY08 Financial Services bill (TCS ANALYSIS OF FY08 HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES APPROPRIATIONS BILL) is in. All told there were 168 earmarks worth more than $980 million in the bill. The 17 Presidential earmarks (which includes major GSA construction projects) pull in $905.7 million. The remaining cost is divvied up between $61.4 million for Democrats, $13.7 million for Republicans and nearly $2 million for three undisclosed earmarks. So 80% of the earmarked spending goes to the majority party.

The vast majority of the earmarks (131) are under the Small Business Administration. Here’s a quick sample of some of the earmarks:

· $231,000 for a small business program for ex-offenders in Chicago, IL for Rep. Davis (D-IL);

· $150,000 for robotics training equipment at the John C. Calhoun Community College in Decatur and Tanner, AL for Reps. Aderholt (R-AL) and Cramer (D-AL);

· $129,000 for the “Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree” project in Spruce Pine, NC for Rep. McHenry (R-NC); and

· $150,000 for the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism for Rep. Peterson (R-PA).

The three undisclosed earmarks that we found hiding out were: National Student and Parent Mock Election ($200,000), Help America Vote College Program ($750,000) and National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws ($1 million). Interestingly, the Rep. Castle (R-DE) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) serve on the board of the National Student and Parent Mock Election. Also, TCS had dig a little to figure out the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws earmark. It had a reference to a provision in law from last Congress (ONDCP reauthorization) . In that bill funding was authorized for a “model laws” non-profit, which turns out to be NAMSDL. Phew.

Also, TCS released our full analysis of the Senate FY08 Defense Authorization bill. (SENATE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL FAILS TO DISCLOSE ALL EARMARKS) According to the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act contains 309 earmarks at a cost of $5.6 billion. However, TCS found an additional 90 earmarks worth $8 billion. That’s about 30 percent more than the disclosed amount, pushing the total tag for Congressional increases to $13 billion. Much of this was because the Committee conveniently redefined earmark to exclude billions of dollars of spending from disclosure. Anything on the services unfunded priorities wish lists doesn’t count, anything added for military construction projects that follows existing rules doesn’t count. These are massive loopholes that enables billions of dollars in defense spending authorizations to remain in the shadows.