Sam Brownback: “But, Mr. President, by my reckoning, in the process of acting on these 10 measures, the Senate will have wasted almost…”

“But, Mr. President, by my reckoning, in the process of acting on these 10 measures, the Senate will have wasted almost $10 billion on wasteful, unnecessary, low priority, pork-barrel projects. This is an appalling waste of taxpayers dollars--almost a billion dollars for every appropriations bill we have considered so far, and we still have three more appropriations bills to go. This bill is typical of the types of earmarks and set-asides that members add to the multi-billion-dollars bills. This bill and report earmark billions of dollars for specific highways, railroads, bridges, boats, hangers, and even a covered bridge. Yes, a covered bridge. The report earmarks $2 million of Federal highway funds to restore a covered bridge in Vermont. The report directs the Coast Guard to buy twice as many coastal patrol boats from the Bollinger Machine Shop and Shipyard in Louisiana as were requested by the Coast Guard--at a cost of $68.1 million for 15 boats.”