Money In Politics & Government Waste

FACT SHEET

AMERICANS FOR CAMPAIGN REFORM

Money in Politics & Government Waste 1. Earmarks, Campaign Money, and Lobbying Expenditures Doubled Since 1998 • The number of federal government earmarks--

appropriations inserted by Members of Congress not subject to regular budgetary procedures--tripled between 1998-2006 from 4,219 to 12,852 • The amount of earmark spending nearly doubled from $28 billion in 1998 to $47 billion in 2006 • Total contributions to federal candidates and federal lobbying expenditures increased by similar margins from $750 million and $1.5 billion in 1998 to $1.4 billion and $2.6 billion in 2006, respectively • Taxpayers spent an estimated $271 billion in total earmark appropriations between 1991-2008, according to Citizens Against Government Waste

2. Top Defense Earmark Recipients Spent Heavily on Candidates and Lobbying • The top ten recipients of defense industry earmarks in

2008 contributed an average of $2.7 million each to candidates for federal office from 2003-2008 • The top ten recipients spent an average of $4.9 million each to lobby federal elected officials in 2008 • The top ten recipients received an average of $88 million in earmark spending in 2008, or $13 for every $1 spent to influence federal elected officials • The largest FY2008 defense industry earmark, $588 million to accelerate production of Navy submarines, was inserted against U.S. Navy requests: “In a report to Congress, the Navy said boosting the production of submarines early would disrupt its overall shipbuilding plan by shifting [funding[ from other important programs.” (The Hill, 2/13/07)

3. Congressional Appropriators Received Targeted Support from Earmark Recipients • Defense industry earmark recipients contributed

disproportionately to Members of the House and Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, the primary defense appropriators, regardless of party • The top five Senators providing earmarks in 2008 received an average of $259,573 in campaign contributions from defense industry earmark recipients • The top five Representatives providing earmarks in 2008 received an average of $699,935 from defense industry earmark recipients Sources: Center for Responsive Politics, Center for Public Integrity, Senate Office of Public Records, Citizens Against Government Waste

Figure 1: Growth in Total Number and Amount of Federal Appropriations Earmarks, 1998-2006 15,000

$50

Earmarks ($billions)

Earmarks (#) 14,010

12,500 $47

$45

12,852

$45 $40

10,000

$42

7,500

$35 $33

$30

5,000

$25 $28 $20

10,540

1998

2,500

2000

2002

2004

6,073 4,219

0 2006 1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Figure 2: Growth in Federal Campaign Contrib- utions and Lobbying, 1998-2006 (billions) $3.0

Campaign Contributions Lobbying Expenditures

$2.5 $2.0 $1.5 $1.0 $0.5 $0

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Figure 3: Contributions (2003-08) and Lobbying (2008) by Top Defense Earmark Recipients Defense Contractor

Earmark Contribs. & Earmarks Approps. Lobbying to Spending

General Dynamics

$648.0

$7.4

88:1

Northrup-Grummon

$91.7

$9.5

10:1

Alliant Tech

$33.5

$2.1

16:1

Honeywell

$22.4

$6.3

4:1

Raytheon

$21.8

$6.3

4:1

JOIN US AT YOU STREET, A GROWING MOVEMENT FOR CAMPAIGN REFORM • WWW.YOUSTREET.ORG 5 BICENTENNIAL SQUARE CONCORD, NH 03301 • TEL 603.227.0626 • [email protected]

8/25/09