One of the big "winners" in the $1.5 trillion fiscal 2022 omnibus bill signed by President Joe Biden back in March was Alabama's own U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa).
Roll Call declared that Shelby "blew away the rest of the field" in the category of earmarks for his home state.
Shelby's press team even highlighted the various areas where Alabama's senior U.S. Senator was able to nail down funding.
This did not go unnoticed by Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).
The organization declared Shelby its "Porker of the Month" on Thursday.
.@SenShelby is our April Porker of the Month for claiming he has secured $683 million in corrupt, costly, and inequitable pork-barrel earmarks. pic.twitter.com/vrSMwKUogd
— Citizens Against Government Waste (@GovWaste) April 28, 2022
"Earmarks are corrupt, costly and inequitable," CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement. "Taxpayers should be horrified by Sen. Shelby’s willingness to purloin so much pork. It is despicable that he has requested the most earmarks of any member of Congress on his way out of the door. Earmarks are not a path to unity; they are a road to fiscal ruin for taxpayers.
"Members of Congress cannot help themselves when it comes to wasting taxpayer dollars, and it provides only mild relief that Sen. Shelby will be retiring soon and stop requesting pet projects for his state. For saddling taxpayers with $683 million in pork-barrel earmarks, Sen. Shelby was an easy choice for CAGW’s April Porker of the Month."
Shelby announced his pending retirement from the U.S. Senate in February 2021. A contentious Republican primary between U.S. Army veteran Mike Durant, former Business Council of Alabama President and CEO Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) is underway to determine who will fill Shelby's seat in 2023.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.
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