CAGW lists annual Congress pork tallies

WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Three Republican U.S. senators were designated the top "porkers" in Congress by the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.

The group released a report Wednesday that concluded that 11,610 projects worth $17.2 billion were earmarked into a dozen congressional appropriations bills in fiscal year 2008.

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., led the individual totals with $892 million. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was ranked second at $469 million, followed closely by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a $465 million. The CAGW, which has been reporting on so-called pork barrel projects for 18 years, noted that Cochran is the ranking Republican on the power Appropriations Committee.

"When Congress adopted earmark reforms last year, there was hope that the number and cost of earmarks would be cut in half. By any measure, that has not occurred," CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a written statement.