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Pork-watcher skewers military construction bills

CongressDaily July 8, 2003

Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, issued its first "Pork Alert" of the fiscal 2004 appropriations season Monday for House and Senate bills funding military construction, arguing the bills contain several examples of wasteful spending.

They cited $1.5 million for a chapel expansion at Alaska's Fort Wainwright and $1.4 million to replace a dog kennel at Elmendorf Air Force Base, also in the home state of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens.

The statement also said Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, "fought like Davy Crockett" to steer home items such as a $13.6 million fitness center at Randolph Air Force Base and said ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., procured $5 million for the main gate at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

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Also cited were House appropriators such as Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., for a $2.9 million fire station at Fort Benning and House Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Joseph Knollenberg, R-Mich., for $1.1 million for an Army National Guard readiness center in Pontiac, located in his district.

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COMMENTS

  • Why does Congress continue to appropriate my money to buy military items that they should pay for? Keep telling me they are underpaid - that is a real crock. GovExec.com reader Posted July 9, 2003 6:41 AM
  • How much do people think it costs to put up a building? $2.9 Million for a Fire Station is cheap, ask any fire department in the U.S. Monies for gate construction in today's terrorist atmosphere is expensive due to the added security measures that need to be incorporated in today's world to ensure that military and civilian employees as well as all of the visitors that come to federal reservations are safe from acts of terrorism. Dog kennels for police dogs are not cheap either, especially when you are usually replacing buildings that were constructed 50 years ago or more. Ted Meeker Posted July 9, 2003 7:06 AM
  • I find it amazing that the projects being objected to are infrastructure projects. Does this show Citizens Against Government Waste true objective of eliminating all military spending? Jimmie Grimes Posted July 9, 2003 7:02 AM
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