Here’s the database you all have been waiting for - the FY 2009 Omnibus with 8,570 earmarks worth $7.7 billion. Since the Senate started debate on the bill today, we tabulated the Senate recipients of earmarks – from top to bottom. So you’ll find the Mississippi delegation at the head of the pack followed by the Louisiana delegation hot on their heels.
Here are the 10 largest co-sponsors of earmarks:
Senator
1. Cochran (R-Miss.): $470,857,775
2. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.): $390,993,300
3. Mary Landrieu (D-La.): $332,099,063
4. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa): $292,360,036
5. David Vitter (R-La.): $249,182,063
6. Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.): $248,160,991
7. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.): $235,027,932
8. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii): $225,077,157
9. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.): $219,398,750
10. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa): $199,144,486
Republicans: There’s too much spending in this liberal bill!
Democrats: No there isn’t. We need to spend this to fix the economy.
Republicans: Well fine then. If you insist, but we’re against it on principle.
$1,777,737,364 Republican Earmarks
$1,084,564,188 Democrat Earmarks
For those of you who don’t have calculators. The Republicans have 693,173,176 more in earmarks than Democrats. That’s Six-hundred ninety three MILLION dollars more. $693.2 MILLION!!!! And that’s just the top ten. I’d be interested to see all of the earmarks tabulated this way. You know what would be fun? Instead of calling them the Republican party, we could call them the hypocrisy party. They’re looking for a new face anyway.
