CAGW releases new database

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The Washington-based government spending watch dog group Citizens Against Government Waste has announced the release of a new searchable database.

The non-profit CAGW released the database making searchable the 2,076 projects in the Fiscal 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Act worth $6.6 billion.

"With our more transparent format, egregious projects such as $3,000,000 for the First Tee golf program, $2,400,000 for House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Jerry Lewis's, R-Calif. Lewis Center for Education Research, and $2,000,000 for brown tree snakes are more easily found," CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement.

The 2,074 projects are a drop from the 2,618 projects identified in CAGW's 2007 "Congressional Pig Book," a decrease of 21 percent in the number of earmarks. The report also list Democrats having brought in 877 projects, or 42 percent of the total, and Republicans with 630 earmarks, or 30 percent.

"The year-long continuing resolution for fiscal year 2007 that cut out pork for nine of the eleven bills, proved that the country can survive without such excessive spending," Schatz said. "The best solution to this year's budget dispute for taxpayers would be another earmark moratorium."