Tom Coburn: “the Senate today accepted three amendments that I offered to S. 2766, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal…”

“the Senate today accepted three amendments that I offered to S. 2766, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, intended to improve transparency and accountability of taxpayer funds provided to the Department of Defense. Amendment No. 4370 addresses the practice of the earmarking of Federal funds by members of Congress. ``Earmarks,'' more commonly known as ``pork projects,'' are provisions inserted into bills or directives contained within a joint explanatory statement or reports accompanying bills specifying the identity of an entity, program, project or service to receive assistance. Many Congressional earmarks inserted within Defense appropriations bills are not needed, or even wanted, by the Pentagon. Just this week, the Washington Post published an article titled, ``The Project That Wouldn't Die; Using earmarks, members of Congress kept money flowing to a local company that got $37 million for technology the military couldn't use.'' Earmarks contained within Defense appropriations bills have been linked to a number of recent Congressional corruption and ethics probes. Convicted super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff openly boasted that earmarks were his political currency and he called the Appropriations Committee that doles them out a ``favor factory'' for lobbyists. The $80 billion emergency supplemental passed last year was riddled with add-ons. It included $10 million to expand wastewater facilities in Swiftwater, PA.…”