Citizens Against Government Waste Names Sen. Susan Collins August 2025 Porker of the Month

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) its August 2025 Porker of the Month for leading the way in Congress on wasting taxpayer dollars for self-serving pork-barrel earmarks.

As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Collins has so far requested more than $400 million in earmarks for fiscal year (FY) 2026. In FY 2024, Sen. Collins received 231 earmarks costing taxpayers $575.6 million, the most of any member of Congress and $109 million more than second place. Sen. Collins’ long history with earmarks has earned her several Oinker Awards in CAGW’s Congressional Pig Book, including “The Whole Hog Award.” Sen. Collins’ egregious earmarks include funding for the Bangor Opera House, Maine’s lobster industry, blueberry research, and the Portland Museum of Art.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “When it comes to porking out on taxpayer dollars, Sen. Collins is a repeat offender. Year after year, she requests and receives ridiculous earmarks with no regard for taxpayers across the country. Sen. Collins’ leading role as Congress’s most prolific purveyor of pork made her an easy choice for August Porker of the Month.”

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