Congress hides $3.5B in earmarks

[Hannah Bell]

15 Oct 2008 // A year ago, Congress passed new ethics rules requiring lawmakers, for the first time, to disclose their earmarks - federal dollars they were quietly doling out as favors. But time after time, Congress exploited loopholes or violated those rules, a Seattle Times investigation has found.

An in-depth examination of the 2008 defense bill found $8.5 billion in earmarks. Of those, 40 percent - $3.5 billion - were hidden...

-The hidden $3.5 billion included 155 earmarks, among them the most costly in the bill. Congress disclosed 2,043 earmarks worth $5 billion.

-The House broke the new rules at least 110 times by failing to disclose who was getting earmarks, making it difficult for the public to judge whether the money is being spent wisely.

-In at least 175 cases, senators did not list themselves in Senate records as earmark sponsors, appearing more fiscally responsible. But they told a different story to constituents back home in news releases, claiming credit for the earmarks and any new jobs.

Lawmakers do not face penalties for failing to follow these ethics rules.

"The whole ethics bill was a sham," said Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina, said when told of the findings. "It was written to create loopholes, to get around any transparency and our ability to cut out those earmarks. Neither leadership is committed to significantly changing the earmarking process."


http://citizensforethics.org/node/34709