Forget turkey — pork is the meat of the season.
Or at least it is in Congress, where lawmakers passed a $388 billion federal appropriations bill Nov. 20. Now Wisconsin lawmakers are boasting of earmarks — commonly known as “pork-barrel” appropriations — they secured for the Badger State in the 1,690 page omnibus bill.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin brought home over $10 million in federal dollars to South Central Wisconsin. Among her appropriations: $500,000 for the UW-Whitewater Center for Students with Disabilities, $300,000 for medical equipment at Beloit Memorial Hospital and $50,000 for the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Although not a direct response to the Historical Society’s potential closing of its museum, Baldwin press secretary Jerilyn Goodman said the funding was needed for the financially pinched organization.
“We’ve known for a long time the financial difficulties of the society, and we feel they have collections worth preserving,” Goodman said.
A significant portion of Baldwin’s earmarks is targeted to the City of Madison. She successfully requested $1 million for East Washington Avenue, which began a multi-phase reconstruction project in March. Redevelopment of the street, the main corridor to downtown Madison, will stimulate job growth in the area, Goodman said.
Baldwin also secured $1.5 million for Dane County Airport and $500,000 for the preliminary stages of Transport 2020, a commuter project designed to better connect Madison with its growing surrounding communities.
Despite voting against the bill, Sen. Herb Kohl hailed more than 30 specific federal appropriations to the Badger State. Along with Baldwin and Rep. Dave Obey, Kohl secured $1 million for additional land purchases for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Congress also approved $3.8 million in improvements to State Highway 32 in Kenosha at Kohl’s request.
Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, obtained $500,000 for the City of Waukesha to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards concerning radium in drinking water.
Mark Green, R-Green Bay, secured $100,000 for the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay.
The omnibus bill, which funds most federal agencies, passed both the House and Senate by comfortable margins. Wisconsin delegates were split in approving it: Baldwin, Obey, Sensenbrenner, and Congressmen Tom Petri and Gerald Kleczka voted for the bill, but Kohl, Green, Sen. Russ Feingold and Congressman Paul Ryan voted against it.
Taxpayer watchdog groups lashed out at the bill for its lavish spending in the face of a record federal deficit. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste said the omnibus bill, a condensed version of nine different appropriation bills, needed greater scrutiny to root out frivolous pork spending.
“If Congress cannot make the easy decisions by eliminating unnecessary earmarks, like $200,000 for the Aviation Hall of Fame or $100,000 for the Punxsutawney Weather Museum, there is very little hope for social security or tax reform,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said in a press release.
Goodman defended the spending package for helping to achieve district priorities — health care and job growth initiatives.
“We spend a lot of time with community groups ascertaining needs … and we are very happy with what we brought back to the district,” she said.
