Washington, D.C. – The following is a written statement by Steve Ellis, Vice-President of Programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national budget watchdog organization, on final passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2005:

With so much pork scattered to so many districts, final passage of the $10.6 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2005 was all but certain. This WRDA bill, which is the vehicle for 757 new navigation, flood control, and environmental restoration projects, diverts billions of dollars to parochial water pork projects in almost every state in the nation. So long as lawmakers continue to trade their votes for local projects, fiscal responsibility remains a pipedream.

At a time of staggering budget deficits, it is outrageous that Congress is picking projects based on politics and committee assignments rather than actual economic need. This nightmare of a bill does little more than solidify the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reputation as one of the most wasteful, fiscally irresponsible agencies in the nation.

And by undermining many of the cost-saving reforms instituted by President Reagan 19 years ago, WRDA 2005 is inviting the Corps to become an even more reckless, more wasteful organization in the future. Apparently, lawmakers’ addiction to pork has made them blind to the need for significant reform of how we spend taxpayer dollars on water projects.

Contact: Keith Ashdown
(202) 546-8500 x110

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