Legislation & Issues
Oct 12 2010
The Pork Report
Stimulus payments to prisoners, a bridge for horses, and mariachi classes all paid for with your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies over $9,027,591,000 in wasteful Washington spending
Millions of dollars of stimulus payments went to tens of thousands of people who are either dead or in prison click here to read more
$4.6 million being spent to refurbish a horse bridge in Massachusetts even though there are more than 500 other bridges in need of repair in the state click here to read more
Mariachi classes, wine studies and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame all receive congressional earmarks carved out of funding intended for federal education programs click here to read more
The Defense Department funds 48 projects to celebrate service and recreation on public lands while educating volunteers about all the benefits of spending time on public lands, including military installations click here to read more
80 percent of post offices losing money click here to read more
College drop outs cost taxpayers more than $9 billion click here to read more
Former aide to Pennsylvania governor to receive a no-bid, $5,000-a-month, year-long contract to ensure state agencies are spending federal stimulus money click here to read more
Sep 30 2010
The Pork Report
Road signs to nowhere, dance classes for prisoners, and Weight Watchers for obese job seekers all paid for with your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies over $36,107,185,000 in wasteful Washington spending
Road signs to nowhere: Federal stimulus funds pay for blank roads signs that say nothing click here to read more
Florida stimulus recipients include Weight Watchers, a dance program to inspire prisoners, and a study of litigation in the Spanish Empire in the 18th century click here to read more
Congressman’s brother dependent upon government grants for company’s success click here to read more
Federal stimulus project threatens to put private bus company out of business click here to read more
BAIL OUT WATCH: Post Office going broke click here to read more
New accounting systems intended to improve the Pentagon’s finances are behind schedule and nearly $7 billion over budget click here to read more
Congressman earmarks tax dollars for campaign consultant’s client click here to read more
National Science Foundation pays to develop a guide to understand ballot questions for voters in Washington state click here to read more
Non-native government contractors, not native populations, benefit from the billions of dollars in federal funds poured into Alaska native corporations every year click here to read more
Sep 27 2010
The Pork Report
Beer brewing, a block party in NYC, a posh luxury hotel at the Mall of America, and perks for postal service execs
Today’s edition identifies millions of dollars in wasteful Washington spending
$12.1 million in federal stimulus bonds may help expand beer brewing in Michigan click here to read more
National Science Foundation sponsors “The Ultimate Block Party,” featuring a treasure hunt, radio-controlled care races, and finger painting portraits of dogs click here to read more
Maryland spending $290,000 federal transportation grant on a museum at a train station click here to read more
More than a half-a-billion dollars in federal transportation funds has been sitting unspent by Virginia; “There has been money sitting in accounts while people have been sitting in traffic,” says state’s governor click here to read more
Stimulus spending on highways is not delivering on job promises click here to read more
Ohio town’s car wash that was going to be funded with federal stimulus dollars cancelled after it goes over budget click here to read more
Posh new luxury hotel at the Mall of America “became possible only recently because of federal stimulus money” click here to read more
State Department still has not found a location for the $70 million training facility that would be funded with federal stimulus funds; Politicians want it but residents do not click here to read more
Audit of the Postal Service uncovers perks for execs and no bid awards for contractors click here to read more
How much?!?!?! $51 million in stimulus funds being spent to renovate a federal building click here to read more
Sep 23 2010
The Pork Report
Horse acupuncture, sweet heart deals for campaign donors, a bike "czar," and shoddy stimulus work that will need to be redone all paid for with your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies over $52,000,000 in wasteful Washington spending
Shoddy stimulus road project will have to be redone costing taxpayers $2 million; Repaved roads and sidewalks need to be repaved again click here to read more
$10,000 spent on acupuncture for horses among the many no-bid contracts costing millions of dollars that New Jersey politicians’ have steered to campaign donors click here to read more
The nation’s $13 trillion national debt may actually be more than $60 trillion click here to read more
State Department will contribute more than $50 million to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves to provide cooking stoves for other countries click here to read more
Omaha is not a biking community and is running a budget deficit, but the city has hired a “bike czar” with federal funds click here to read more
Federal stimulus funds explore the creation of an alternative to Facebook click here to read more
County police department spent $48,980 of a federal grant on untested software that did not work click here to read more
Today’s edition identifies millions of dollars in wasteful Washington spending
Iowa pizzeria’s renovation paid for with federal funds; Customers using the back entrance will be greeted by a vertical garden for “a warmer appeal” click here to read more
Texas developer may receive nearly half a million dollars in federal funds to build a pizza parlor click here to read more
USDA gives grants to the Pennsylvania Wine Association to improve the state’s wines, the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Association to promote Pennsylvania apples, the American Mushroom Association, and studying and marketing of the Seascape strawberry click here to read more
With federal stimulus funds, Connecticut town hires social worker for displaced casino workers click here to read more
Georgia town spends $160,000 of federal stimulus funds on a new sidewalk not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and now must spend more to widen it but the mayor’s office admits “the sidewalks will never be ADA compliant” click here to read more
The largest share of federal stimulus funds in Nevada not being spent to create jobs; “Very little of it is going to put people back to work,” says Las Vegas business consultant click here to read more
Minnesota Transportation Department may have misspent millions of dollars on travel expenses and hundreds of thousands of dollars on improper cell phone use click here to read more
Yosemite may have been formed by glaciers millions of years ago, but the National Park Service is planning a large celebration for the 150th anniversary of the landmark being named a national park click here to read more
Sep 20 2010
The Pork Report
Parachute museum, a wild horse sanctuary, billions of dollars of Pentagon pork projects, and a 30 foot sculpture made out of red metal poles all paid for with your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies billions of dollars in wasteful Washington spending
Parachute museum completed with $95,000 federal grant click here to read more
“What the hell is that thing?” $100,000 in leftover federal stimulus funds spent on a 30 foot tall sculpture made of seven red metal poles click here to read more
Wild horse sanctuary part of a $2.9 million federal stimulus project in New Mexico click here to read more
$172,500 federal grant will fund a one-year study to determine how to rehabilitate an old dairy barn to transform it into a major tourist attraction in Florida click here to read more
Senate’s defense funding bill “topped off with a generous helping of earmarks” totaling about $2.6 billion for congressional pork programs that the Defense Department did not request click here to read more
They like to spend your taxes but they don’t like to pay their own! House and Senate employees have failed to pay $9.3 million in taxes owed to the federal government, an amount that has climbed 37 percent in two years click here to read more
U.S. contractor accused of fraud still reaps billion dollar deals from the federal government click here to read more
Sep 17 2010
The Pork Report
Giant bus sculpture paid for with stimulus funds, street gangs get rich off of Medicare, bankrupt federal government sponsors traveling exhibit promoting financial literacy, and thousands of federal employees refuse to pay their taxes
Today’s edition identifies over $32,300,000 in wasteful Washington spending
How many jobs did this create? Nevada spends federal stimulus funds on a 40 foot long, 28 feet high sculpture of a bus click here to read more
Bureaucrats having fun playing with your money: Federal agency sponsors Moneyville!, a traveling exhibit promoting economic literacy where can you play the stock market, run your own lemonade stand, put your face on a million dollar bill click here to read more
$111 million in federal stimulus funds created or saved just 55 jobs in Los Angeles click here to read more
More than $3.7 billion of stimulus funds awarded to DC area firms and contractors click here to read more
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign: Taxpayers have spent more than $9.1 million on signs advertising the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus click here to read more
99,000 federal employees, including members of Congress haven’t paid their federal taxes; Bill introduced to punish tax cheats who get paid with tax dollars click here to read more
Bank received a $12 million bailout even though Treasury Department officials knew it had a history of receiving poor performance evaluations click here to read more
California street gang defrauded Medicare of at least $11 million click here to read more
Oregon’s spending of a $40 million federal grant intended to assist those in long term care under investigation click here to read more
Sep 15 2010
The Pork Report
The only daily round up detailing how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies over $2,400,000 in wasteful Washington spending
The Thomas S. Foley Institute receives a $212,735 federal grant to put on a two day conference on civility click here to read more
National Endowment for the Humanities pays to send former congressman on a ‘civility tour’ click here to read more
Construction of a center to promote Washington state wine likely to be paid for with a $2 million federal Economic Development Administration grant click here to read more
$200,000 of federal funds paying for a 75-foot long sculpture to remember the buildings and other structures made from Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania click here to read more
Whistleblowers provide “credible evidence” the National Science Foundation has failed to crack down on employees viewing porn websites on government computers click here to read more
Pentagon to investigate hundreds of employees suspected to have downloaded child pornography click here to read more
Sep 14 2010
The Pork Report
Goldfish pond park, more than $1 million of phantom snacks, a social justice film festival, and a comic book tracing the history of printing, all paid for with your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies over $3,135,000 in wasteful Washington spending
Federal funds sunk into Goldfish Pond Park click here to read more
U.S. embassy misspent millions of dollars on phantom snacks and meals click here to read more
National Institutes of Health spends $800,000 of stimulus funds on African genital-washing program click here to read more
The “Show Me Social Justice Film Festival” inappropriately paid for with a $100,000 federal stimulus grant click here to read more
Government Printing Office published its first comic book, “Squeaks Discovers Type!,” which traces the history of printing, from cuneiform to the Internet age click here to read more
National Science Foundation studies websites of members of Congress click here to read more
Hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Navy and a grant from the federal Transportation Enhancement Program pay to excavate a ship that may have sunk 200 years ago click here to read more
Sep 13 2010
The Pork Report
The only daily round up detailing how Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars
Today’s edition identifies millions of dollars in wasteful Washington spending
As the size of the U.S. federal government workforce continues to increase… click here to read more
…Cuba plans to lay off more than a million government employees to encourage private enterprise and stimulate the communist nation’s struggling economy click here to read more
National Science Foundation puts on a climate change variety show with singing, dancing and even junkets for artists click here to read more
U.S. Census spent $413,00 for awards and $23,000 on a totem pole click here to read more
Mississippi middle school spends $640,000 federal highway grant to create a “transploreum,” a combination of a transportation museum and an auditorium click here to read more
‘Unpaid pay czar’ paid a 6-figure salary click here to read more
Following Gulf oil spill, Obama Administration steered no bid contracts to bogus projects and political allies click here to read more
Two years after Hurricane Ike, Houston has only spent about half of the $93 million in recovery aid provided by the federal government; Local agencies seek to hold onto the unspent money rather than return it as required by law click here to read more