CAGW Announces 2012 Porker of the Year Nominees

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today announced the nominees for its 2012 Porker of the Year. People may cast their ballots for the candidate they think was the most reprehensible Porker in 2012 in an online poll at www.cagw.org. The six finalists were chosen by CAGW staff from among 12 worthy Porkers of the Month for 2012. The winner will be announced in mid-March. The candidates are:

“while the pension reform of 2010 improved the situation by decreasing future liabilities … significant long term improvements will come only from additional pension reforms, refinancing the liability and seeking a federal guarantee of the debt [emphasis added].”

• Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), for submitting amendment #1812 to S. 1813, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act, which would have extended federal subsidies for green energy, including alternative fueling stations, biofuels, refined coal, energy-efficient appliances, and wind power.
• Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), for recommending that lawmakers bring back earmarks. Rep. Rogers stated that he “was mad because [members] were talking about how we can’t get 218 votes,” adding that “There was a lot of applause when I made my comments.” Members of the anti-earmark crowd have never been under the impression that earmarks were unpopular among senators and representatives. To the contrary, it has long been clear that earmarks must be banned in order to protect Congress from its own porkiness.
• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for plumbing the depths of government overreach with his ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants, food carts, movie theaters.
• House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), for sponsoring the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) bill, a massive waste of taxpayer dollars at a time of record profits for farmers. Reps. Lucas and Peterson’s bill would have maintained the command-and-control pricing systems for many commodities that have been in place for decades, and fell far short of the $180 billion in savings for the farm bill included in the House-passed budget resolution.
• Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D), for hinting at a possible federal bailout of Illinois’ pension programs, which are among the least funded in America. Gov. Quinn’s fiscal year 2012 budget referenced his state’s pension problem, stating that, “while the pension reform of 2010 improved the situation by decreasing future liabilities … significant long term improvements will come only from additional pension reforms, refinancing the liability and seeking a federal guarantee of the debt [emphasis added].”
• Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), for his continued pressure on acting Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Edward DeMarco to pursue principal write down on mortgages owned by the two housing government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Director DeMarco has steadfastly refused to move toward principal forgiveness, citing his obligation to protect taxpayers and minimize additional losses for Fannie and Freddie, which are currently under the longest federal conservatorship in American history at a cost to taxpayers of $183 billion.

CAGW is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month and Porker of the Year are dubious honors given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.