Earmarks That Slip Through The Cracks

Only five US Senators declined the opportunity to lard up the 2008 Defense bill with $8 billion in earmarks: Sen. Thomas Coburn (R-OK); Sen. James DeMint (R-SC); Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI); Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

In The Favor Factory, the Seattle Times outlines in disturbing detail earmarks worth $3.5 billion that were hidden, tucked away, in the 2008 defense bill. Another $4.5 billion were "declared." The researchers report:

The hidden earmarks range from $8 million for lighting sold by a financially troubled company in North Carolina to $588 million for a submarine the administration doesn't want.

To be clear, the Seattle Times reporters are including spending requests that might not be technically called an "earmark" because they are not clearly identified with one specific Senator or Representative. However, they do meet another characteristic of an budget earmark: they apply to a very limited number of individuals or entities. And in many cases, back in the home district or state, the Congressman took credit for bring home the bacon, so to speak.

I'll be writing more about this series. For now, we should recognize the 58 Congressmen (including the five Senators) who had no earmarks in the 2008 bill. Also, see What Is An Earmark