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Leslie Paige of Citizens Against Government Waste on the continued fight against government earmarks.
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It is Tuesday morning.
Citizens Against Government Waste has just released its annual pig book.
Every year it exposes wasteful Washington spending there is good news this year.
The group says it's work has pushed wasteful spending down to its lowest level since 1992.
And the congressional earmarks have dropped over 98%.
While.
Leslie Paige from Citizens Against Government Waste joins us now -- You gonna be out of a job soon.
What's going on here don't know what else well you know there's a good news bad news story we'd like to be out of job.
It's going to be up to congresses and and whether they can maintain this moratorium right now looks -- a little bit endanger.
-- -- the good news here is is that the moratorium which is the prohibition that we had last year on earmarking is working.
So taxpayer pressure taxpayer watchdog pressure we all put a lot of pressure on members of congress and it is actually working.
Dollar amounts are way down 80% less than 2010 but that's from sixteen point five billion down to three billion mother -- that's.
Very good news let's -- it but it now you are now you confusing a little bit because.
What I think of wasteful spending.
I think GSA.
Taking a trip to Las Vegas but that's not -- -- law that's completely different business so that's correct -- -- -- neither -- -- -- -- -- You still got a lot -- -- -- but it -- you've still got lots of examples of of abusive spending.
That's not an -- mosque that's -- barrel.
Well we have lots of these things like market access program in the US Department of Agriculture that's -- wasteful program that's still in place and has never gone away and that's where we give money to very well off companies.
To advertise their programs overseas which -- we all think is probably.
Just the cost of doing business and that is they get away to corporate welfare giveaway -- to well known businesses to market their agriculture products.
That's an example kind of agency wasteful spending.
We're talking about here is Congress's pork barrel items.
And we you know what we did was try and pressure them a couple of years ago it's still rare statement ties and they didn't bid pushed -- way way down but the moratorium is in danger shredding and that's what we're worried about.
Tell me about I think this is called the big tank.
Program utility I want us and really wells wasteful stuff go.
The other M one tank is in there it's a very larger market that in fact I would say I would like to point out to people when they go to our web -- that some what they're gonna see there is very large earmarks.
Related to these programs.
We're gonna it's gonna look like many slush funds you know we've also we don't -- -- -- -- transparency on these things -- is part of our problem we've actually regressed whereas before we can get.
A little bit of information like who requested it where's the money going.
All we have now is big lumps of money with very little cost certification in terms of who put them in -- so we've actually regressed -- terms of transparency and that's kind of bad news.
We will faster and I would just put up -- -- that 255 million dollars to the M one Abrams tank is that's what I'm talking about gigantic money here at you know being flooded accident that you -- million dollars go on a couple of -- -- one well we don't know yet but we yeah obviously it's it's gonna be earmarked for the UM one -- program what they do with that we will not know until after their party appropriate the money -- into that program spending.
But at the at the far -- -- very on transparent as to where it's gonna -- -- so we will not know for sure.
Until we either find out at the other end because once that money goes into the agency.
They will decide and hopefully they will do it -- -- merit based competitive award formula grant -- spend it on stuff that is not wasteful but.
Because -- now have no sight line into where the money is actually going we're gonna actually be a little behind the eight -- in terms of finding out exactly what happens to it.
OK so as we know all about the Las Vegas junket that's what we really out -- finally it yet.
And Clinton just keeps going and going doesn't it show it does we're -- through that one yet let's entirely thanks so much enables against him -- thank you.
