Ranked by the office of Sen. Tom Coburn (R.-Okla.).
The Democrat-controlled Congress is currently fighting to pass a $120-billion-plus emergency war supplemental laden with pork projects. Last week the House voted 218-212 to pass the bill and the Senate is expected to pass it shortly. Senate Republicans said they expect President Bush to veto the bill because it sets a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal in Iraq. The following list highlights the most egregious earmarks contained in the Senate's version of the bill, as ranked by fiscal hawk Sen. Tom Coburn's staff.
10. Allows transfer of funds from holiday ornament sales in the Senate gift shop
9. $3 million in funding for sugar cane
8. $3.5 million in additional funding for guided tours of the Capitol
7. $12 million for the Forest Service money which the President requested in the non-emergency fiscal year 2008 budget
6. $20 million for insect damage reimbursements in Nevada
5. $24 million in funding for sugar beets
4. $75 million for salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency
3. $165.9 million for fisheries disaster relief, funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
2. $40 million for the Tree Assistance Program
1. $100 million in funding for the 2008 national party conventions.
