Earmark Spending News Today

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Congress is negotiating more than 7,500 "pork-barrel spending" earmarks totaling $16 billion for a year-long omnibus spending bill. ...

Well as republicans. all the earmark spending and we basically abandoned the principle of limited government. im concerned now that the course that were on with some issues like trade, with protectionism, and with populism, that were similarly -- were going to write ourselves out of the majority again. thats my concern. weve got to get back to traditional limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility. >> youve been asked, senator, if youve left the republican party. you your...

And i am just curious, did you think about leaving the party? >> no. no. not at all. im a proud republican, life-long republican. and from arizona. arizona tends to elect independent-minded people and people who stand on principle. so im doing what i think my voters expect of me. but, i think, for example, in 2006 when the party in particular had given way to inappropriate spending, earmark spending, couple of our colleagues ended up in jail. if you remember the man for drain the swamp was emplo...

Conspiracy theories go out or simply fake news, stuff that is just demons ra bli false, we ought to stand up and say hey, thats just not right. >> what if more leaders in your party dont? is there a point where you say to yourself -- i read this book and again i go back, its as much as of an indictment on the republican leadership over the last 15 years as it is on donald trump. its more of on indictment on the republican leadership. and i am just curious, did you think about leaving the party? ...

We had the majority in the house, the senate, and we also have the white house. at that time, i think we did a lot of things that we should not have. we really kind of threw away the matter of fiscal conservatism. we spent like drunken sailors. earmark spending, all of the obscene things that we do, and we were thrown out of the majority in 2006, and both the house and the senate, and we lost the presidency in 2008. >> dana: you said that you regret your vote in 2008 during the financial crisis....

>> sure, my office sends tens of thousands of letters to federal engages agencies. i take full responsibility for it. this doesnt change the fact that stimulus was a bomb. >> reporter: one of the things, in the past particularly when related to earmark spending, republicans say im opposed to earmarks but if congress give earmarks to other states, i want to make sure that my state gets some, too. he wasnt in support of stimulus funds. he didnt recognize that was happening in his office. last week...

the watch dog groups citizens against government waste. what are those dirty spots? something about them is endearing but not endearing about lawmakers. we got the numbers for fiscal year 2012 so we brought some of these friends along from the farm. probably better than a lot of things they usually eat. the good news first, pork is down. since the big push to ban ear marks we have seen a big improvement on capitol hill. some good news. earmark spending down 80% from two years ago. that...

the pig -- i mean, they will eat anything, wont they? they are sort of cute but theyre pigs and the watch dog group citizens against government waste, sorry, i mean, what are those little spirit i spots? something is en dearing but it is not about lawmakers. we brought some of these little friends along from the farm. better than a lot of things they usually eat, isnt it? the good news first. pork is down. since the big push by lawmakers to ban earmarks and appropriations bills we have...

Gregg: new details of wasteful government spending known as pork. the annual release of the congressional pig book. it details all the earmark spending in washington and the total cost of this years pet projects $3.3 billion, that is way down. in 2006 congress spent $29 billion on earmarks. john fund senior editor of the american spectator, author of stealing elections. john, i thought congress put a complete moratorium on earmarks. why are there 3.3 billion? >> reporter: these arent called earm...