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Defense Bill has over 2,000 earmarks |
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By Roxana Tiron
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Posted: 11/09/07 08:26 PM [ET] |
The House on Thursday passed the 2008 defense appropriations conference report by a vote of 400-15. The $471.2 billion military spending bill contains 2,049 disclosed earmarks worth close to $5 billion, according to an initial tally by the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS).
This is the first year Congress disclosed the sponsors and dollar amount of earmarks, which adds up to less than half of last year’s measure. In the fiscal 2007 bill, TCS found 2,653 earmarks worth close to $11.3 billion.
The military spending bill does not contain any funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, apart from $11.6 billion in emergency funds for more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.
The military spending bill boosts funding for shipbuilding programs, the defense health initiatives and equipment for the National Guard and Reserve.
Senate and House conferees have also attached to the 2008 defense-spending bill a new continuing resolution that would temporarily fund the rest of the government.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that he wanted to pass the defense appropriations bill by the end of the week. The Senate was expected to take up the bill as early as Thursday but had not done so by press time.
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