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Dozens of museums rely on repeat earmarks for general operating expenses
Entitlement mentality rules, Members use earmarks to build constituencies
May 17, 2006
"If a museum cannot be sustained based upon attendance and local support, taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize their continued existence," said Tom Schatz, President of Citizens Against Government Waste, responding to Chairman Coburn's follow up questions regarding his April hearing, "Federal Funding of Museums."
Regarding repeat requesters such as the Please Touch Me Museum in Philadelphia, which received $5.2 million between 2001 and 2005 and the National Museum for Women in the Arts, which consistently receives $1 million a year, Mr. Schatz noted:
"While the requesters haven’t admitted it, CAGW believes that once one earmark is given, future earmarks are based on that amount as a starting point for subsequent years. When funds are provided over a period of years, the earmarks for museums (and other projects) become a form of entitlement spending."
Schatz also points out the lack of objectivity in determining the funding level for these projects because the requester has a financial stake in the local project and will benefit financially from the earmark! Talk about a conflict of interest. Keep reading.
For information on repeat requestersfrom the past five years, read "Repeat Requesters" and "Earmarks by Appropriator." See which museums continually receive taxpayer money for the same project, year to year.
To watch the Museums hearing, click here.
Senator Tom Coburn's activity on the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2254 Fax: 202-228-3796
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