Pork Alert: Agriculture/Rural Development/Food and Drug Administration

Business Wire, August 26, 2008

CAGW's Pork Patrol(SM) Takes a Closer Look at Fiscal 2009 Agriculture Pork

WASHINGTON -- Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released its preliminary analysis of the Senate version of the Fiscal 2009 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Act. There are 287 projects for a total of $167.2 million in the bill.

The top porkers in the bill are Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) with $27.4 million; Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) with $23.6 million; Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) with $18.9 million; Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Robert Bennett (R-Utah) with $16 million; and Senate Appropriations Committee member Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) squeezing out $10.6 million each.

The following are examples of pork added to the bill:

* $4,841,000 by 19 senators for wood utilization research in Alaska, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and West Virginia. This research has cost taxpayers $95.6 million since 1985.

* $1,117,000 by Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Robert Bennett (R-Utah) for Mormon crickets.

* $300,000 by Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) for shrimp aquaculture. Since 1985, $69 million has been appropriated for this research.

* $270,000 by Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) for the Montana Sheep Institute. This organization has received $3.1 million in pork since 2002.

* $259,000 by Senate Appropriations Committee member Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) for floriculture. According to a September 13, 2007, Star Bulletin article Hawaii's floriculture and nursery products grossed $100.7 million in 2006. Since 1995, CAGW has identified $4.1 million in pork for this research.

* $237,000 by Senate Appropriations Committee member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) for the Wine Grape Foundation Block at Washington State University. Wine in the state is a $3 billion industry.

* $184,000 by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) for Lowbush Wild Blueberry research. Since 1995, CAGW has identified $3.2 million in pork for this research.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.