So, Rep. Alan Mollohan was defeated in a Democratic primary yesterday. He was the second incumbent to lose in the... View Article
Continue readingCase study in trying to analyze earmark data
Each year, Congress allocates billions in earmarks that come in the form of annual appropriation committee requests or are attached to various bills that become law. The Sunlight Foundation thought it would be interesting to examine which earmarks, after all the Congressional debate and bluster has dispensed, actually get spent.
We thought a good example would be the $23 billion in transportation earmarks from SAFETEA-LU, The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The act authorized spending on highways, transit systems, port facilities, bus routes and other projects from its passage in August 2005 to what ...
From earmark to disappearmark: Bush administration policy shift cut funding for congressional projects
In 2005, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., earmarked more than $19.6 million to launch a light rail project in his district—one that he had promised to continue his “strong support for” by finding additional federal funding though his position on the House Appropriations Committee.
The light rail project was authorized by SAFETEA-LU, a law enacted in 2005 that was notable for the billions in earmarks it funded—including questionable projects like the “bridges to nowhere” in Alaska and the Prairie Parkway in Illinois.
Yet the light rail project Price sought funding for was ... Continue reading
Earmark Transparency Makes More Sense Than a Ban
The recent policies imposed by the House Appropriations Committee and the House Republican Caucus to ban for-profit earmarks and all... View Article
Continue readingWhat I’m Reading This Morning
The former aide to an earmark opponent in Congress is filing suit against a client for whom he helped secure... View Article
Continue readingLunch Time Link Round-Up
Local county commissioners in the district of Indiana Rep. Mike Pence passed a resolution requesting that the congressman end his... View Article
Continue readingEarmark My Words
What do top earmarkers talk about in Congress? Does our money go where their mouths are? In the case of... View Article
Continue readingWhat’s the Matter With New York?
Yesterday, two Democratic New York State Senators jumped ship to caucus with the Republicans, potentially shifting the majority from the... View Article
Continue readingCapitol Words: Pete Visclosky’s Home State
Last week, I posted about the relationship between PMA Group fanboy Rep. Pete Visclosky’s campaign contributions from clients of the... View Article
Continue readingVis-a-Visclosky: Or How I Learned to Take Campaign Contributions and Turn Them Into Earmarks
It comes as no surprise that Indiana Democrat Pete Visclosky’s favorite word to say in Congress is “Indiana.” While staying... View Article
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