Alert: - Pork Alert: House Transportation

Pork Alert: House TransportationWASHINGTONHOUSE-TRANS-PORK-ALERT

Citizens Against Government Waste today released its preliminary analysis of the House version of the fiscal year 2010 Department of Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Act. In total, there are 1,003 projects worth $584.1 million. House THUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Olver (D-Mass.) has $13.5 million for 12 projects and Subcommittee Ranking Member Tom Latham (R-Iowa) took home $6 million for 10 projects.

The following are examples of some of the pork that was added to the bill:

• $2,475,000 for seven projects directed to the improvement, construction, or expansion of museums, including $250,000 by House THUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Olver (D-Mass.) for renovation and expansion of the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke. The museum charges for a number of events: $20 for general admission to their Arcadia Players 20^th Anniversary Concert in September, $10 to a harp concert in October, $3 for their bicycle exhibition, and $3 admission fees to the gallery.
• $1,350,000 for five projects for the construction and renovation of theaters, including $400,000 by House appropriator Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) for the Ritz Theater in Newburgh and $200,000 by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) for the Laredo Little Theatre.
• $1,050,000 for four projects involving bicycle trails: $400,000 by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), $300,000 by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), $250,000 by Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), and $100,000 by House THUD Appropriations Subcommittee member Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio).
• $300,000 by Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) for an extension to the Boston Subway Green Line. A July 21, 2009 Boston Globe article stated that ?the Green Line expansion, estimated to cost $600 million in recent years, is now listed by the Patrick administration at $934 million.?
• $250,000 by Rep. Charles Dent (R-Pa.) for Larry Holmes Drive Traffic Calming in Easton. If anybody could fight traffic it would be Larry Holmes.
• $250,000 by House appropriator James Moran (D-Va.) for the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Multi-Use Trail in Fairfax. Rep. Moran?s website states that the purpose of the trail is to ?provide a safe walking path between Wolf Trap?s ?Barns? facility and the Filene Center facility.? Rep. Moran has taken credit for funding $2.2 million for this project during his time in Congress. Tickets to see Pat Benatar and Blondie at Wolf Trap are going for $42. At the end of 2007, Wolf Trap had a fund balance of $33 million.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.