"Pig Book:" Congress curbs earmarking habit, but still sneaking in pet projects

CBS

(CBS News) After years of intense public criticism, Congress has seriously curbed its earmark habit of spending tax dollars for pet projects outside the normal public review. The new "Pig Book" -- which has tracked Washington pork since 1991 -- says the amount of tax dollars destined for earmarks in 2012 is way down: $3.3 billion.

The high was $29 billion in 2006.

Tom Schatz's watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste, publishes the Pig Book. He says the decline in earmarks is due to the House banning them in 2010 and the Senate following suit in 2011, after several years of anger from taxpayers.

"The good news is it's the smallest amount of money since 1992, and the lowest number of earmarks since we issued the first Pig Book in 1991," Schatz told CBS News.

If there's a "ban" on earmarks, why are there any at all? Schatz says Congress has figured out ways to stuff earmarks into spending by calling them different names. The result, he says, is less transparency. Since they're technically not called "earmarks" under Congress' definition, Congress doesn't have to disclose details -- including who requested the money to be spent.

"The transparency is much more difficult and it will be hard to see where, exactly, the money is being spent as it goes out the door," says Schatz.

So Citizens Against Government Waste did some detective work to identify what it considers earmarks, even if Congress doesn't call them earmarks. They are projects that meet any of the following criteria:

The Pig Book found $120 million tax dollars going to the military to research alternative energy. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says that's a bad idea. He cites a Navy project that recently spent $400 per gallon for algae-based biofuel.

"That kind of experimentation should be done by private industry and then adopted by the military, not experimentation on the part of the military," McCain told CBS News. "It's not their job. And by the way, they don't do it very well."

Another Pig Book pick: the Army's M1 Abrams tank. The Pentagon wants to halt production to save money. But Congress stuffed in $255 million tax dollars to upgrade the tanks anyway, saying it'll preserve thousands of jobs.

"The Pentagon is in a budget crunch," says Schatz. "They're facing massive cuts over the next ten years. They have said clearly they don't want to spend the money on the M1 upgrade. Yet Congress added $255 million dollars, and part of that money was spearheaded by members in whose districts the parts will be made."

The Pig Book also flagged $5.8 million for the East-West Center in Hawaii meant to improve relations among Pacific nations. The center's recent projects include an endowment to honor President Obama's mother.

Check out the full "Pig Book" below:

[nonpolitico]

Wow!! Another Non Story.
Tell me who in the USA is UNAWARE that Pork Belly is ROUTINE??
If Congress put as much effort and ingenuity into running the country for the CITIZEN,as it does pulling pork bellies, we could have a country admired around the world for being run by honest Saints!!
As we all KNOW that THAT ain`t gonna happen, can the feature writers PLEASE think up some RELEVANT NEWS that IS News???
Please!!

[jmeert]

Well this was a stupid article. While I agree that there is waste in how the government spends our tax dollars, it's not clearly detailed as to why some of these projects are a waste. If I was tasked with identifying waste, I would be a lot clearer about why the money was a waste. A bit more in the way of explanation would be helpful.

[SUZAMBA]

And this surprises the American people why????
In other words, nothing has changed!

[fedup12]

Only the successful part of the porkulus spending bills started under Bush.

[cbs_bull]

The US congresses are hopeless, no matter they are under Republican or Demo. We need a big change.

[ticobird]

How depressing. This congressional behavior reminds me of the spoken thought concept of saying "Imagine what that crook could accomplish if he/she just put the same effort to good use."

[slatep]

This is just one more indication that those in Congress have created more loopholes to cover their "priviledged" a**es.

The already consider themselves above the common man having created "rules", pension plans, healthcare plans etc. that are not available to the rest of us.

I hate to break this to the members of Congress, but you put your pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else.

I want to know who it was that declared you have the right to deem yourselves better than the rest of us.?????

[woozybarnes]

"Yet Congress added $255 million dollars, and part of that money was spearheaded by members in whose districts the parts will be made."

THE NAMES! THE NAMES!

[jd2408]

I'm all for these wasteful earmarks. Why worry about bridges and roads crumbling, the national 15 trillion dollar debt, SS going broke and not to mention we really need more cuts in education. I'm all for this government that doesn't care about the welfare of the country or its future. Lets just worry about our own turf. Survival of the fittest, greed, get whatever you can. Sounds good to me.

[Lerianis4]

Social Security is nowhere near going broke and could be E A S I L Y fixed by getting rid of that cap on SS taxed income.

[stormerF69]

And here we sit in Alabama with the one of the biggest Porkus lards in the senate, Shelby who needs to go to the pork barrel because he is so greasy from all the pork fat.

[isanyonefair]

Why is anyone listening to McCain anymore? The guy stands for nothing and has consistently taken the wrong side.