The news about ridiculous spending and looming deficits notwithstanding, North Carolina?s congressional delegation actually reduced its share of pork barrel spending this year by 21 percent compared to 2009. That?s according to a new report by Citizens Against Government Waste.
The Tar Heel State now ranks 43rd in earmarks, spending $144,384,900. Coming in at No. 1 is Hawaii, followed by North Dakota, West Virginia, and Alaska.
N.C. Congressman David Price, D-4th, secured $208,000 for ?beaver management? expenses in the state. In the past, Price caught flak from CAGW for sponsoring an earmark for the Citizen-Soldier Support Program, an initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill that used about $10 million in taxpayer dollars questionably.
This year, Price also teamed up with Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-2nd, to nail down $349,000 to study ?swine and other animal waste management.?
I could add a bathroom humor line here but will resist.
CAGW?s 2010 ?oinker awards? have some gems:
- The Hal Bent on Earmark Award: Rep. Harold ?Hal? Rogers (R-Ky.) for $10 million for the National Institute for Hometown Security.
- The Steak Through the Heart of Taxpayers Award: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas) for $693,000 for beef improvement research.
- The Sapping the Taxpayers Award: $4.8 million for wood utilization research in 11 states requested by 13 senators and 10 representatives.
Click here for a CAGW?s searchable database of pork.
