Omnibusting: Omnibus Spending Bill, Earmarks, Pork and Budget Gimmicks

“The Democratic Leadership of the House is cutting in half the number of earmarks in this year’s appropriation bills.”
– House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, March 13, 2007

So much for Pelosi’s pledge. The mammoth $515 billion omnibus spending bill obliterates the Democrats’ promise to slash pork-barrel projects. As the Senate moves toward consideration of the bill, a thorough analysis reveals the omnibus actually increases the number of earmarks to a total of 11,331 — a 426% increase over the number from last year, when there were just 2,658 earmarks last year. The omnibus alone contains at least 9,170 pork projects, comprising 696 pages, or one-fifth, of the bill.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Beverly Hills Veterans Park ($4,000,000,000)
• Rangel Monument to Me ($2,000,000)
• Rodent control in Alaska ($113,000)
• Olive fruit fly research in France ($213,000)
• Hunting and Fishing Museum in Pennsylvania ($200,000)
• Louis Armstrong Museum in New York ($150,000)
• A bike trail in Minnesota ($700,000)
• A river walk in Massachusetts ($1,000,000)
• A post office museum in downtown Las Vegas ($200,000); and
• The Lincoln Park Zoo in Illinois ($37,000)

No one knows the exact cost of the earmarks in the mammoth omnibus, but they could easily exceed $18 billion, which nearly matches that $18.9 billion spent on earmarks in FY2005.

In comparison, a continuing resolution would result in 2,161 earmarks, which were already included in the Defense appropriations bill.

Hat Tip: Sen. Jim DeMint

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) made the following statement today regarding the release of the proposed 3,565-page Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

“Republicans were expecting something the President could sign with a straight face but this bill is completely unacceptable,” said Senator DeMint. “We’ve only had it for a few hours and it’s clear this is a bad deal. Instead of passing a clean bill, Democrats have packed it full of controversial policy riders, wasteful earmarks, and budget gimmicks that add billions in additional domestic spending over the President’s level.”

“I’m sure Democrats will try to ram this down our throats before anyone can read it, but we should do everything we can to stop them. I know many in Congress are anxious to get home for the holidays but we have a responsibility to stop wasteful Washington spending and protect American taxpayers,” said Senator DeMint.

After an initial review of the legislation, several wasteful and unnecessary provisions have already been identified:

· Earmarks: Instead of reducing the number of pork projects in the federal budget, the bill drives the number of earmarks up from last year. The bill contains over 8,000 earmarks, bringing the total for 2008 up to over 10,000 earmarks compared to just 2,658 in 2007.

· Spending Gimmicks: Instead of cutting wasteful spending out of the bill to bring its cost down to the President’s level, the bill uses budget tricks and gimmicks to hide at least $14 billion in extra domestic spending.

· Policy Riders: Instead of limiting the package to spending needed to fund government operations, the bill includes unrelated policy items. Many of these riders are backed by special interests, such as organized labor, and could not win passage on their own.