CAGW Names Sens. Brown, Kerry, and Leahy Porkers of the Month

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and John Kerry (D-Mass.) January Porkers of the Month for urging the Pentagon to release taxpayer funds to continue development work on the alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter. The project has been criticized as wasteful and unnecessary by taxpayers, the Bush and Obama Administrations, and numerous top military officials. Sens. Brown and Kerry represent states where the engine will be developed and built by General Electric and Rolls Royce.

“The only general that supports the alternate engine is General Electric.”

CAGW has long opposed the alternate engine. On May 20, 2010, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made it clear that he will recommend that the President veto any legislation that includes funding for the alternate engine, a pledge that has been reiterated by the White House. Additionally, in a January 6, 2011 speech about military’s budget, Secretary Gates said that spending limited resources on the alternate engine constitutes excess overhead and is an unneeded program.

The alternate engine is currently on life support and has been funded with $1.2 billion in anonymous earmarks since fiscal year 2004. The project is currently being funded through a continuing resolution which expires on March 4, 2011.

“The alternate engine has been a $3 billion boondoggle and taxpayers should not sink one more dime of limited resources into this failed project. This program has become the epitome of senseless government waste, diverting resources away from other important military projects and expenditures that keep the nation and our troops safe and secure,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz. “The only general that supports the alternate engine is General Electric.”

CAGW’s Porker of the Month can also be viewed on video, which is co-produced with reason.tv, the video website of Reason Magazine. CAGW’s Porker of the Month is available on both CAGW’s homepage and at reason.tv.

For insisting that taxpayers fund a useless jet engine that will only exacerbate our country’s soaring debt, CAGW names Sens. Brown, Kerry, and Leahy January 2011 Porkers of the Month.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.