Congressional Tea Party Hypocrites Take $1 Billion in Earmarks

According to a Hotline review of records compiled by Citizens AgainstGovernment Waste, the 52 members of the caucus, which pledges to cut spending and reduce the size of government, requested a total of 764 earmarks valued at $1,049,783,150 during Fiscal Year 2010, the last year for which records are available.

"It's disturbing to see the Tea Party Caucus requested that much in earmarks. This is their time to put up or shut up, to be blunt," said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste. "There's going to be a huge backlash if they continue to request earmarks." [National Journal]

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who founded the caucus this past July, said she was giving voice to Americans who were sick of "government overspending"... But, clearly not sick of gubment spending for which they have a vested interest.

The following is a list of Tea Party Caucus members and their earmark requests during Fiscal Year 2010, courtesy of Citizens Against Government Waste's Pig Book:

NAME                EARMARKS        AMOUNT

Aderholt (R-AL)        69        $78,263,000

Akin (R-MO)             9        $14,709,000

Alexander (R-LA)       41        $65,395,000

Bachmann (R-MN)         0                  0

Barton (R-TX)          14        $12,269,400

Bartlett (R-MD)        19        $43,060,650

Bilirakis (R-FL)       14        $13,600,000

R. Bishop (R-UT)       47        $93,980,000

Burgess (R-TX)         15        $15,804,400

Broun (R-GA)            0                  0

Burton (R-IN)           0                  0

Carter (R-TX)          26        $42,232,000

Coble (R-NC)           19        $18,755,000

Coffman (R-CO)          0                  0

Crenshaw (R-FL)        37        $54,424,000

Culberson (R-TX)       22        $33,792,000

Fleming (R-LA)         10        $31,489,000

Franks (R-AZ)           8        $14,300,000

Gingrey (R-GA)         19        $16,100,000

Gohmert (R-TX)         15         $7,099,000

S. Graves (R-MO)       11         $8,331,000

R. Hall (R-TX)         16        $12,232,000

Harper (R-MS)          25        $80,402,000

Herger (R-CA)           5         $5,946,000

Hoekstra (R-MI)         9         $6,392,000

Jenkins (R-KS)         12        $24,628,000

S. King (R-IA)         13         $6,650,000

Lamborn (R-CO)          6        $16,020,000

Luetkemeyer (R-MO)      0                  0

Lummis (R-WY)           0                  0

Marchant (R-TX)         0                  0

McClintock (R-CA)       0                  0

Gary Miller (R-CA)     15        $19,627,500

Jerry Moran (R-KS)     22        $19,400,000

Myrick (R-NC)           0                  0

Neugebauer (R-TX)       0                  0

Pence (R-IN)            0                  0

Poe (R-TX)             12         $7,913,000

T. Price (R-GA)         0                  0

Rehberg (R-MT)         88       $100,514,200

Roe (R-TN)              0                  0

Royce (R-CA)            7         $6,545,000

Scalise (R-LA)         20        $17,388,000

P. Sessions (R-TX)      0                  0

Shadegg (R-AZ)          0                  0

Adrian Smith (R-NE)     1           $350,000

L. Smith (R-TX)        18        $14,078,000

Stearns (R-FL)         17        $15,472,000

Tiahrt (R-KS)          39        $63,400,000

Wamp (R-TN)            14        $34,544,000

Westmoreland (R-GA)     0                  0

Wilson (R-SC)          15        $23,334,000

TOTAL                 764     $1,049,783,150