The latest edition of the Congressional Pig Book, published by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), has revealed a significant increase in earmark spending by U.S. lawmakers. This year’s report highlights $26.1 billion in pork-barrel projects for fiscal year 2024, marking a substantial rise from the previous year.
Earmarks, often referred to as "pork," are funds allocated by Congress for specific projects, typically benefiting a legislator's local constituency.
Happening now: 2024 Pig Book Press Conference! pic.twitter.com/rGXS1l3SNh
— Citizens Against Government Waste (@GovWaste) June 12, 2024
This practice has been criticized for fostering wasteful spending and for being a tool for political favoritism. The report notes that the number of earmarks has surged by 43.9% compared to the previous fiscal year, reflecting a broader trend of increasing earmark allocations.
The 2024 Pig Book emphasizes that a small group of powerful legislators on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are responsible for a disproportionate share of these earmarks.
The 2024 Congressional Pig Book exposes 8,222 earmarks costing $22.7 billion.
Earmarks are the most costly, corrupt, and inequitable practice in the history of Congress.https://t.co/fpDlLhjoqR
— Citizens Against Government Waste (@GovWaste) June 12, 2024
For instance, Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine) tops the list with 231 earmarks totaling $575.6 million. Other top recipients include Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Angus King (I-Maine), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who collectively received over $2.3 billion in earmarks.
This year's Pig Book also underscores the lack of transparency in the earmark process. More than one-third of the earmark spending, amounting to $8.2 billion, was approved without any attribution, meaning no specific lawmakers were named as sponsors of these projects. This opaque practice complicates efforts to hold legislators accountable for their spending decisions.
Critics argue that earmarks contribute to government waste and corruption, recalling past scandals that led to a moratorium on earmarks from 2011 to 2021. Despite the moratorium, earmark spending has made a robust comeback, with the current total being the largest since fiscal year 2010.
CAGW President Tom Schatz emphasized that the continued growth in earmark spending highlights the need for a permanent ban to prevent the recurrence of wasteful and corrupt practices in Congress. The report serves as a call to action for fiscal responsibility and transparency in government spending.
