Citizens Against Government Waste Releases 2026 Congressional Pig Book

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released its 2026 Congressional Pig Book, the 33rd edition of the group’s exposé on pork-barrel spending.

CAGW President Tom Schatz was joined in a press conference at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

2026 Congressional Pig Book facts:

• The 2026 Congressional Pig Book exposes 8,392 earmarks costing $23.7 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2026.
• The $23.7 billion in FY 2026 is the fourth highest total since CAGW released the first Pig Book in 1991, behind the $29 billion in 2006, $27.3 billion in 2005, and $26.1 billion in 2023.
• Since the first Pig Book was released in 1991, CAGW has identified 140,826 earmarks costing $484 billion.

Earmarks and Oinkers:

• Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) received “The Whole Hog Award” for 96 earmarks costing $484,654,000, the most of any member of Congress.
• Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) received “The House of Pork Award” for 14 earmarks costing $250,050,000, the most in the House of Representatives.
• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) received “The Taxpayer’s Nightmare at the Museum Award” for $1,500,000 for a new door at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which held net assets of $5.8 billion in 2025.
• Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) received “The Paving the Road with Pork Award” for $20,000,000 for improvements to the Hal Rogers Parkway, named after a fellow Kentucky appropriator.
• Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) received “The Singing a Sour Note for Taxpayers Award” for $950,000 for two earmarks funding two opera houses.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said:

“Earmarks continue to be the most corrupt, costly, and inequitable practice in the history of Congress. More than 99 percent of Democrats got earmarks compared to 72.3 percent of Republicans. As usual, earmarks also benefited senators far more than representatives in FY 2026. Senators requested 6,299 earmarks costing $13,566,023,692 compared to 4,886 earmarks costing $8,648,072,276 requested by representatives. In FY 2026, the 92 members of the House and Senate appropriations committees, making up only 17 percent of Congress, were responsible for 41.3 percent of the earmarks and 38.8 percent of the money. Earmarks therefore continue to provide the most benefit to the most powerful legislators. The members of Congress who restored earmarks willfully ignored or forgot why this wasteful practice was first subject to the moratorium. The 2026 Congressional Pig Book is a must read for taxpayers and shows why earmarks should be permanently banned.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.