Citizens Against Government Waste Releases 2022 Congressional Pig Book

Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released its 2022 Congressional Pig Book, the 30th anniversary edition of the group’s exposé on pork-barrel spending.

CAGW President Tom Schatz was joined in a virtual press conference on CAGW’s Facebook Live by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). Pre-recorded video messages were provided by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

2022 Congressional Pig Book facts:

• The 2022 Congressional Pig Book exposes $18.9 billion in earmarks in fiscal year (FY) 2022, an increase of 18.9 percent from the $15.9 billion in earmarks in FY 2022.

• The 2011 earmark moratorium was overturned, giving taxpayers more information about which members of Congress are bringing home the bacon.

• Since 1991, CAGW has identified 116,816 earmarks costing taxpayers $411.4 billion.

• The Oinker Awards and pork per capita are included in the 2022 Congressional Pig Book for the first time since 2010.

Earmarks and Oinkers:

• Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) received “The Prince of Pork Award” for 16 earmarks costing $647,936,000, by far the highest amount of any member of Congress.

• Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) received “The Don’t Step in it Award” for $650,000 for feral swine management.

• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) received “The Revolutionary Pork Award” for $500,000 for the Fort Ticonderoga Association.

• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) received “The Snow Job Award” for $500,000 for preservation of a historic ski jump in Milan, New Hampshire.

• Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) received “The Singing a Sour Note for Taxpayers Award” for $1,000,000 for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

• Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) received “The Atomic Wedgie Award” for $2,000,000 for the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement:

“At a time when the price of everything is going up, members of Congress increased earmarks by 18.9 percent, or more than twice the 9.1 percent rate of inflation. There is no good news in that number other than the formal return of earmarks at least gives taxpayers more information about which members of Congress are bringing home the bacon and which received CAGW’s Oinker Awards. More than 99 percent of Democrats got earmarks compared to 48 percent of Republicans, and only two of the top 50 porkers were from the House of Representatives. The top five members got $2 billion, equal to 10.7 percent of the total cost of earmarks. The 89 members of the House and Senate appropriations committees, equal to 17 percent of Congress, got 41.1 percent of the earmarks and 29.1 percent of the money, proving once again that they go disproportionately to those who sit on powerful committees. The members of Congress who agreed to restore and take earmarks are willfully ignoring or have forgotten why this corrupt, costly, and inequitable practice was first subject to the moratorium. The 2022 Congressional Pig Book is a must read and shows why bringing back earmarks is a slap in the face to every taxpayer.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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