Have live members of congress who will speak. I thank you for joining us. We have another halfdozen senators and representatives with record remark we will play once we are done. This is the 20 eighth edition of the congressional pics and follows two days after the Congressional Budget Office, and 854 billion, the record was 234 billion in the 864 billion would be the sixthlargest annual deficit. Since the supposedly earmarked moratorium, members of congress have set a record for the amount of spending according to citizens against government waste cry to which we develop back in 1991 with the bipartisan congressional pork busters coalition. The amount spent was 15. 9 billion, a 3. 0 increase in fiscal year 2019. The numbers may adopt a little bit from 282, two to extend for, decrease of 2. 8 . Since this league in 1991, cagw has identified 111,417 earmarks costing taxpayers 375. 7 billion so yes, those little projects due at up over time. The increase in porkbarrel spending occurred behind closed doors without taxpayers know what was going on. There were no names of legislators attached to each remark and few details. We do know in the agriculture appropriations act theres 9 billion for the Appalachian Regional Authority and the delta Regional Authority. We know that 27. 5 million and the energy and water appropriations bill earmarked. Both president obama and President Trump have suggested the delta Regional Authority budget be cut and these regional commissions duplicate many other federal, state and local programs. Earmarks for the department of defense has always accounted for about half of the earmarks. This year is no exception. 7. 5 billion in defense accounts for 47. 2 of the remark. The biggest what is the 2. 1 billion added for 20 additional joint Strike Fighter aircraft that the pentagon did not request, and that is six more than fiscal fiscal year 2. It is well known that this aircraft is well over budget, almost twice the initial expense. The programs 428 428 billion9 years in development, nine years behind schedule and the lifetime operations and Maintenance Cost will be 1. 2 trillion making get the most expensive weapons system in history. The 2020 big book includes third nature and major lead them mark 65 million to recover pacific salmon, a record in the following categories, 25. 8 million to manage wild horses, 24 million to control aquatic plants and 11. 4 million to purchase fish screen along with 663,000 to eliminate the brown tree state in guam. Perhaps the most flagrant emerick is the 16. 7 million for the Eastwest Center in hawaii. Senator schatz added this three years in a in a row, record am, essentially the senators entire budget. The Eastwest Center is geographical counterpart, the northsouth center stopped receiving federal funding in 2001. Theres no reason for the Eastwest Center to be getting a penny of taxpayer money. The taxpayers of legislators need to understand why the 2011 earmarked moratorium was needed in the first place. There was a decade of scandals, a bridge to nowhere, lobbyists and members of Congress Went to jail. Many members of congress have been elected since then i do not remember what the true consequences of earmarks are. Instead, the senate, late senator john mccain said the problem with the arguments by proponents of earmarks is the more powerful you are, the more likely you are to get the earmarks in. Therefore, it is a corrupt system. The late senator tom coburn said that earmarks are the gateway drugs to washingtons spending addiction. They still hold the power to corrupt congress, waste taxpayer money and erode trust in government. The best way to get rid of these earmarks is to protect taxpayers is to enact a statutory permanent ban. Going gone with us and did by changing the rules to real permanent ban in 2019. I am pleased to be joined today by distinguished members of congress and senators who share our concern over the corruption of cost, and unfairness associate with earmarks. We will hear first from senator Marsha Blackburn, followed by representatives ted budd of north carolina, tim burchett of tennessee, bill flores of texas who i would like to point out has set the record for the most insistent and consecutive candids of the pig book so ruinous you when youre gone. Someone ought to come in and take your place. We also have congresswoman debbie lesko of arizona and Tom Mcclintock of california, ralph norman south carolina. Well hear from ted cruz, joni ernst, mike lee, rand paul and finally representative banks. Any questions will have will respond faster evan has spoken and after. Now i would like to ask senator Marsha Blackburn to speak and thank you for joining us. Thank you so much. I am thrilled to join you all today. And we are in tennessee and we are out working. But first, to citizens against government waste, thank you so much for your consistency and bring these issues forward. You just mentioned 2011 earmark ban, and that is something that was vitally important to us in the house, and if it had been held to we would not now be at 26 trillion in debt. And this keeps mounting every year. One of the ways to keep a handle on it is to eliminate earmarks and to get rid of these things that have no federal nexus. And that is something we should continue to hold steadfast you, and again i want to say thank you so much the citizens against government waste for continuing to keep the pressure on about holding spending accountable, finding ways to rein in not only the legislative branch, but the Bureaucratic Branch when it comes to spending government money, putting programs in place that we do not need that will outlived their usefulness by the time our children and grandchildren are earning paychecks and have to pay for these programs. So thank you for the continued good work. First, i have to unmute myself. Thank thank you very much, senar blackburn. We will not go to congressman ted budd. Thanks, tom and good morning, everybody. Its a pleasure to be back with you all virtually this time and perhaps we will be back together in person can next year. I want to thank citizens against government waste for their for e tireless work on behalf of all taxpayers. Our resources and your resources are invaluable to everyone in washington and each and every american citizen as well. As a Small Businessperson myself myself i really appreciate you rooting out waste and making sure our government operates more efficiently and more responsibly. Also want to commend you on your scheduling on tax day and that couldnt be more ironic. Tax day is the day a lot of taxpayers dread the most and the pig book is the book washington swap really dreads the most. So this years citizens against government waste will get taxpayers upset and that for very good reason. This 2020 addition has exposed 274 earmarks the cost nearly 16 billion. Topline numbers are bad. You mentioned a few earlier your introduction but theres millions of dollars in therefore fish streams. As north carolinians in the 13 district i have no idea what a fish screen is but theres hundreds of thousands of dollars for brown tree snake medication, you mentioned that, and we really dont know what that is in north carolinas 13th district. The worst part of this is outside of the tremendous waste of money is a socalled moratorium on porkbarrel spending. Which is really not in effect but it really should be in effect. Thats why a long by calling anna glad to see with ralph norman is an emerick elimination act. So thank you, ralph. Good there. On his great to do, work with your special when it comes to government waste. The only way to really and this porkbarrel spending in washington is to pass a law permanently banning earmarks once and for all. Im going to keep fighting along with my colleagues you have on this call to make sure that happens. Each and every taxpayer dollar is sacred and we should start treating it that way. Thanks again for all but that u do. Thank you, tom, and they still citizens against government waste. Thank you, congressman budd. We will hear from congressman tim burchett of tennessee. Thank you. Play should be here. Member last year it was a little colder and i got to meet ted budd so it was an upanddown, it even got pretty good so it turned out and weve been buddies ever since. You are muted. I hate doing that. What did you say, ted . I can comment from the peanut gallery here. Cool. Tom, you need a 13yearold daughter to show you what youre doing wrong and embarrass you with your computer skills. Thats all it got to say about that. Thank you all for inviting me to attend again this year. As a freshman i monitor the year here my second year. Great honor to join yall. Citizens against government waste has been great work and exposing the excesses been in this years pig book. Someone asked me if i like pork the other day. So the closest thing i come to port is theres a place called pops doughnuts locally owned near my house and the of this maple donut they sprinkle bacon on. Thats about as close as i get to it so i appreciate yell. Yall know the federal deficit is exploding. You said earlier about more eloquent than i did, i think its 864 billion. Weve got to get spending under control and it starts a course with congress. The house will vote on their appropriations bill i think voting on this morning or soon. I would hope it would bring more transparency and accountability. When you said that about the salmon last year i think with salmon, i walked out after voted against that bill and they said if you want to study salmon they couldve gone to the red lobster and data for 12. 95. That in for that infuriate a lot of people but people understood. The economy is slow due to the coronavirus and it is, i dont think it is appropriate to be spending out of control. The next covid relief package has got to be fiscally responsible, if theres got to be anything at all. Especially areas of unemployment come stateless checks. We all agree we just have to get america back to work. Just hang people not to work is killing our economy and i think its a little bit by design in my opinion, not worth a whole lot. Im disgusted with whats going on but i want to thank you for the great work you all done with the pig book. Lets go to see my buddy ralph norman, debbie lesko, flores. I think theres more out there. Marsha blackburn come i served with her in the state senate. Mcclintock, probably the coolest name in washington now as far as im concerned. Tom, thank you again, brother and i will yield the remainder of my time back to the next person as you all come you bureaucrats like to say here in d. C. Good seeing yall. Thank you very much. Appreciate your remarks and much of what else i hope to see you all the person next year with our live pig book. Now we have congressman bill flores, went to making use been the most consistent attending events many, many years and maybe he can come back and show up after retirement. That would be great. Good morning. I appreciate everybody participating. On this annual event or. The 28th edition of and covering federal pork spending in washington. Cagw is to be committed for the continuous work highlighting the most ridiculous, the most absurd and most wasteful examples of government excess. The pig book is become of the conscious of taxpayers and it serves an important function and thats to detail just what taxpayer funding is going and when it is going somewhere should not be going. This years pig book identifies 274 programs which cost taxpayers just under 16 billion. This is 133 increase from fiscal year 2017 which shows the continued growth in spending over the last few years has not really been reined in. Prior to my election to congress in 2010 congress had a big problem with porkbarrel spending on both sides of the aisle. Taxpayers were angered to learn that their hardearned taxpayer dollars were being squandered on projects like the infamous bridge to nowhere in alaska and the Rain Forest Museum in iowa. The Republican Study Committee which i was proud to chair during 114th congress been consistently argued against the practice of earmarking and continues to argue against the practice of earmarking and a hopeful we will continue to ultimately successful in this regard. Unfortunately the recent moments to reinstate earmarks but to do so would be against what americans want to see washington. Americans have made it clear they want to drain the swamp and President Trump and previous Republican Congress work to do just that. We cant start to fill it back up now. We all know where funding comes from. Article one, section nine clearly states no money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of an appropriations made by law. We must restore Congress Constitutional authority of the power of the person having Congress Control the appropriations process. Not bureaucrats and not through the use of earmarks. We should not leave it in the hands of any administrations bureaucrats. Its time we stop outofcontrol bureaucrats from making decisions that should be done by congress but congress should only fund those activities and projects that are specifically set forth in the enumerated powers of the federal government. I want to conclude this by thinking, thanks again to cagw for providing this goal responsibility. Tom and it seemed a great job and i look for to hearing from debbie lesko now. Thank you, congressman flores. Now for the first time one of our events we have representative debbie lesko of arizona. Thank you so much, tom here i want to thank the citizens against government waste for everything that you do and have done for years now. I hail from the great state of arizona where we have quite the history of conservative leaders that a fought against overspending and government waste your time very proud to be from that state and from the people that a fought for years against it. You know, i started out fighting against government waste and high taxes, and those types of things years ago. I was just a mom and got involved, and i remember putting out homemade street signs years ago and competed with these big signs that were paid for by special interests that benefited from the tax increases in my local community. And i remember when it rained, it doesnt rain too much in arizona, but when it rained by homemade signs got all wet and so i learned kind of many years ago that its very difficult for a taxpayer, an individual citizen, to fight against special interest that directly benefits from more Government Spending. So thats why your organization, tom, is so very vital because you are there helping us pointing out ways that the government wastes money and that were spending too much money, and Holding Elected Officials accountable. And after i was this Community Type person that was racing against high taxes and wasteful spending, then i got the opportunity to serve in the Arizona Legislature six years in the house and three years in the senate. And i remember going to one of the citizens against government waste conferences that you had for state legislators, and it was very beneficial. So i just want to applaud your organization for the hard work that you were doing and for you, tom, for the hard work you are doing. Its very vital, and i also am appreciative of, what is it, the taxpayer superhero award. Thats like a fantastic name. And so thank you again, and god bless everyone on this call. Thank you very much. Appreciate your remarks, and your service and coming from where you did and showing people how it should be done, if you really are concerned, it involved. Its very simple. Next we have congressman Tom Mcclintock was been with us for many, many years at these press events, has been a superhero on our votes and we appreciate your work, so over to you. Thank you. I appreciate your work and personal i want to thank you and cagw and anyone who supports cagw for continuing to beat the drums against government waste at this particularly critical time in the history of our country. After eight years of serving on the Budget Committee i finally left because they became clear that Neither Party had much interest in controlling wasteful federal spending. At least i can send republicans give it a a lip service from te to time while the democrats only complaint was we were not spending money fast enough. But im afraid that those days will look quaint when the waste in this years spending is finally tallied. Im afraid to do it justice. We will need to issue not just the pig book next year, think you need to start considering issuing a pig farm liberia. We need to understand that every trillion dollars of federal spending, that means 8000 paid by an average household in this country, either in direct taxes or in tax driven price increases as businesses pass the cost to consumers. Since were spending far beyond our means, thats money that is borrowed from the same families that they will then have to pay through their future tax. Cagws latest crusade is to stop this practice of earmarks, and i want to address just a moment those who say that earmarks are just a harmless exercise of Congress Power to appropriate. Well, the fundamental principle of our constitution dates back to magna carta, is a division of powers. One branch makes law but cannot enforce it. The other enforces law but cannot make it. One branch declares war that cannot wage it. The other branch wages war but cannot fight it. Or declare it. And one branch appropriates money but cannot spend it. The other spends money but cannot appropriate. Earmarks strike the very heart of that principle by combining the power of the appropriate with the power to spend. It shouldnt surprise us that thats a formula that is consistently produced both waste and corruption. This is when we begin to consider the next round of spending related to these televised lockdowns. Its time we confronted the simple truth. Government does not finance the economy. The economy finances the government. When we shut down the economy, we shut down the revenues that government spends. As such time as this we ought to be extra careful has the money is being spent and if we dont heed and practice that truth very soon, histories harsh lesson would visit on our country, and it is this. Nations that bankrupt themselves are not around very long because before you can provide for the common defense or promote the general welfare, you have to be able to pay for it and the building of our country to do that is about to be severely tested. So thank you, tom. Thank you, cagw for sound the alarm. Cagws is provided the answers and now were left with a simple question, will the American People finally demand their government stop mortgaging their future squandering their earnings. Angst against. Thank you, congressman. Always appreciate your remarks. Last and and not least another taxpayer superhero and the cosponsor action author of earmarks of the nation back, congressman ralph norman of south carolina. I think you are still muted. Thank you, tom. Appreciate what you do appreciate all my other [inaudible] with pig book what youre doing is shedding light on something that truly hard to find. And thats what i like so much about it. We put out monthly piglets which is spending that hopefully catches on with the American People, particularly in the fifth district. But and i am a real estate developer. When people asked me to build a bill and it comes down to are you going to do it or are you not going to do . I think we are at that point right now. As Tom Mcclintock said, you know, and ive been on the Budget Committee and try to get any cuts is a possible from both sides. Now i think that we are adequate of no return and we have to do something. I guess the answer is one, electing people that are willing to do what we need on this conference are willing to do which is rein in spending. Thats the bottom line. And secondly we got to publicize where the tax dollars are going. Tax dollars are sacred money. And how were going to pay this back, you talk about 860 billion for one month, is something that were going to have to get a control on and we will have to handle it. But i just appreciate what you are doing. I think we are at a critical point. Why are you all spending money out of helicopters . You just hope the lanes in the right place. Its time to say no and its time to stand up. We are certainly, a group of us, willing to do. Appreciate what youre doing and look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you very much, congressman. Atk into evelyn has been with us this morning. Feel free to stay on. You will be able our biggest i want to thank sean kennedy our Research Director was once again waded through mountain support to write the congressional book. Which by the way i decide about first one in 1991 so weve been doing this for a long time. Im not as old as i look, i dont think. I also want to thank alice abrams, Communications Director for doing this basically on her own. The first time we put together Something Like this, seem to be easier when we could get the pigs in the room and bring everybody together and we look for doing that next year. Thank you all again. Our videos will now begin starting with senator ted cruz followed by joni ernst, mike lee, rand paul and then representative jim banks. Its a real privilege to once again join my good friends at the citizens against government waste for the annual congressional pig book conference. The gigantic pigs are absent from this should press covers. What does have to look far to see gigantic bright tank pigs on capitol hill. Namely the port, outofcontrol spending and the astronomical debts. For far too long members of both parties have been content with encrypting to two generations of americans. They had been content with wasting Hardworking Taxpayers money. They had been content with a soaring deficit. Through the annual pig book, citizens against government waste stands up against that. The pig book is often considered the most hated book in washington and ive got to say for those of us who fight each and every day against wasteful spending, this book is a tremendous tool and a real resource. This book shines a powerful light on the worst pork spending that occurs over and over and over again in the federal budget. The men and women of citizens against government waste are steadfast allies and our fight to restore fiscal sanity, and im proud to stand and fight alongside yall each and every day. Thank you and god bless you. Citizens against government waste may not be the most Popular Group in washington for obvious reasons but taxpayers across the country have no better friend or ally protecting their pocketbooks from the big spenders here in congress. Their efforts and most notably the annual congressional pig book help put an end to earmarking altogether. After generating years of embarrassing headlines and investigations, congress enacted a a moratorium on the practice in 2011, or so we were told. Despite the ban, citizens against government waste latest congressional pig book revealed 274 earmarks costing 15. 9 billion in this Year Spending bills. This includes millions of dollars for politicians that projects such as wildhorse and rural management and the kennedy center. Congress may hope to hide these pork projects in the bloated federal budget that now adds up to 4. 7000 a year, but citizens against government waste is keeping them honest. Folks, i can tell you from firsthand experience, it is a never ending challenge to round up all the port in washington we nearly every elected official is doing everything they can to bring home the bacon. That is why i am proud to stand with citizens against government waste who has been making them squeal since 1984. Thank you all for inviting me to introduce the 2020 congressional pig book today. Its an honor to fight against waste in our federal government but i think we all wish it werent necessary. At one point we thought we had won the war against earmarks. Republicans did, in fact, banned them in 2010. Unfortunately the swap being what it is, earmarks are back and getting bigger every year. This year pig citizens against government waste down 54. 9 billion of earmarks an increase of 3. 9 from fiscal year 2019. Going back to fiscal year 2017 earmarks of increased by 133. 8 since congress loosened its ban on the practice. When the ban on earmarks was loosing in 2018 we were told it was necessary to make congress functional again. See, they said, congress cant get anything done anymore. Earmarks may not be great but they are the industrial lubricant of the sausage making factory that is congress and ringing them back when get the machine working properly again. Like many terrible political arguments, its superficially appealing. Congress is indeed dysfunctional, but bringing earmarks back has improved anything. We still lurch from cliff to clip and crisis to crisis without any meaningful debate or amendment process. The fight over earmarks is really a fight over to competing visions of how congress should govern. The washington establishment likes the Current System where Party Leaders negotiate and write bills behind closed doors, often orchestrating a legislative cliff so that members are left with a binary choice between two terrible options. This system keeps the campaign and lobbying cash flowing through leadership offices and their alums on k street. The tough decisions are made in secret without any accountability. But no one likes the current arrangement of government by cliffs, so the swap hoax, all that is needed, in mark lubricant to keep the game going. But the fact is that this corrupt the system excludes all but a handful of representatives and senators, and so effectively disenfranchises hundreds of millions of americans. Bringing back earmarks will only make the situation worse. The alternative system would be one of transparency, decentralization, and accountability. Representatives and senators would write legislation collaboratively in open forging popular compromises and taking tough votes. Anytime someone says what we really need to do is get everyone in the room to hammer out the details. Remember, the constitution provides for two such rooms, the house, the senate chambers. The Reason Congress doesnt work today is that both Party Establishments are afraid of the electoral consequences of the public actually seen a freewheeling debate that they cant control. Eventually congress will reform itself and so restore itself to its proper role in the federal government and in american life. Earmarks are just one more bad idea that we need to discard before we finally face the truth and do our jobs. Good morning. Unfortunately i i cant be with you in person. I wanted to take just a moment to thank citizens against government waste for their work to stop government from wasting your money. Im pleased to report that trend to 2020 version of their Congressional District cagws 25 version is just as strong. Its a secret codes has a spending problem and it is a a totally bipartisan one. Democrats and republicans in congress have struck an unholy bargain to to keep the spending going, even in the face of our crushing debt and deficit. The Congressional Budget Office projects the federal deficit for this year alone will be 3. 7 trillion, and that our National Debt has been exploded greater than 26 trillion. Theres still a few of us in congress who care about wasteful spending and work hard to expose and stop it. Congress is larger asleep at the wheel and going on with business as usual. And despite a selfimposed ban on earmarks, Congress Still has some ways to continue to porkbarrel spending and sneak through earmarked funding. This is one reason why cagws work is vital. This years cagw congressional pig book illustrating ways reveals over 15 billion in earmarks are as Congress Continues to spend more and more all the time, the work of watchdog groups like cagw only increases in importance. I look forward to continued efforts to bring wasteful Government Spending and practices to light. Congressman jim banks of indian here. Well know House Democrat led by chairwoman nita lowey are trying to bring back earmarks and theres almost near unanimous consort in the the house democt congress to do it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of republicans who support bringing back earmarks as well. Thats why we are so indebted to the work of citizens against government waste in putting up the annual pig book. This years 2020 pig book is a doozy, exposing almost 16 million of porkbarrel spending in earmarks and the current federal spending over the last year. Its important we all take a look at this book, read it and do something about it. Im going to do my part as house conservative to expose wasteful porkbarrel spending, and you can do your part as well. Thank you to citizens against government waste for important work and letting me play a small part of the work that you do. Thank you. God bless. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin appears before the House Small Business Committee on oversight of the Small Business administration and department of treasury pandemic program. Live Coverage Today at 10 30 a. M. Eastern on cspan and later this month as attorney general william barr appears before the House Judiciary Committee general oversight hearing on the justice department. Tuesday july 28 watch live coverage of the mnuchin hearing today at 10 30 a. M. Eastern on cspan. Watch anytime on cspan. Org or listen on the go the cspan radio app. Arizona governor doug ducey reached reports on state response to the coronavirus pandemic amid increasing numbers of covid19 cases. He announced a new executive order extending the Eviction Moratorium on Residential Properties until october 31. [inaudible] good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. Today by dr. Cara christ on my right and