It Pays to be an Appropriator

Last week the Senate passed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill that included $328 billion in discretionary spending, $10.7 billion of which is in earmarks - specific set-asides for individual states. Conservatives like to call it "pork." When ranked by the total dollar value of earmarks (a list compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense), eight of the top ten states (not including Washington, D.C., which ranked sixth) had a senator on the appropriations committee. Also, of the 29 members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, 17 of them were able to finagle enough earmarks to put their states in the top half of pork-getters, and 19 of them were in the top 30. So, incase you're interested, here's a list of the states with senators on the Appropriations Committee along with their ranking and total value of earmarks (spending data provided by Taxpayers for Common Sense). #1 California: $965,451,333

Dianne Feinstein (D.) 331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3841

#3 Alaska: $495,810,758

Ted Stevens (R.) 522 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3004

#4 Maryland: $483,125,000

Barbara Mikulski (D.) 709 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4654

#5 Texas: $469,490,902

Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.) 284 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5922

#7 Pennsylvania: $422,170,775

Arlen Specter (R.) 711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4254

#8 West Virginia: $378,250,591

Robert Byrd (D.) 311 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3954

#9 Washington State: $373,138,757

Patty Murray (D.) 173 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2621

#11 Illinois: $328,345,041

Richard Durbin (D.) 332 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2152

#12 Alabama: $289,256,875

Richard Shelby (R.) 110 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5744

#14 New Hampshire: $263,746,700

Judd Gregg (R.) 393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3324

#15 South Carolina: $261,350,286

Ernest Hollings (D.) 125 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6121

#17 Colorado: $241,566,000

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R.) 380 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5852

#18 Ohio: $235,838,500

Mike DeWine (R.) 140 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2315

#21 Kentucky: $193,008,875

Mitch McConnell (R.) 361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2541

#22 Mississippi: $190,193,252

Thad Cochran (R.) 113 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5054

#23 Hawaii: $169,532,786

Daniel Inouye (D.) 722 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3934

#24 Iowa: $166,530,165

Tom Harkin (D.) 731 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3254

#28 Missouri: $138,152,707

Christopher Bond (R.) 274 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5721

#29 Wisconsin: $132,720,500

Herb Kohl (D.) 330 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5653

#32 Louisiana: $121,406,534

Mary Landrieu (D.) 724 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5824

#34 Utah: $103,330,361

Robert Bennett (R.) 431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5444

#35 Nevada: $100,770,000

Harry Reid (D.) 528 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3542

#37 Kansas: $82,547,333

Sam Brownback (R.) 303 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6521

#38 Montana: $76,207,500

Conrad Burns (R.) 187 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2644

#40 New Mexico: $71,433,500

Pete Domenici (R.) 328 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6621

#41 Idaho: $65,212,090

Larry Craig (R.) 520 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2752

#46 South Dakota: $43,192,500

Tim Johnson (D.) 136 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5842

#47 North Dakota: $41,798,500

Byron Dorgan (D.) 713 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2551

#49 Vermont: $31,280,666

Patrick Leahy (D.) 433 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4242