Monday, April 18, 2016

The 2016 Congressional Pig Book

"Every year, Citizens Against Government Waste combs through the minutiae of appropriations bills to find examples of what every taxpayer objects to: government waste. Every year, CAGW exposes that waste in its annual 'Congressional Pig Book.'
"The 2016 Congressional Pig Book shows 123 instances of earmarked, pork barrel spending in the federal FY 2016 budget. Combined, they cost taxpayers $5.1 billion. That's up from $4.2 billion last year. 'While the increase in cost over one year is disconcerting, the two-year rise of 88.9 percent over the $2.7 billion in FY 2014 is downright disturbing,' the group says.
"That $5.1 billion is less than one percent of the federal budget. Cutting waste alone won't put the budget on sustainable footing, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. That $5.1 billion is better off in taxpayers' hands. 'Earmarks create a few winners (appropriators, special interests and lobbyists) and a great many losers (taxpayers).'"— Jason Russell, Washington Examiner