Watchdog Group Lets the 'Pig Out' on US Excessive Spending

The 2016 Congressional "Pig Book" is out showing you, the taxpayer, are spending more than $5 billion in earmarks.

Citizens Against Government Waste released its annual compilation that details federal government waste, including 123 earmarks of pork barrel projects.

Congress actually issued a moratorium against earmarks in 2011, but they're making a comeback. The $5.1 billion that was spent this year is a 20 percent increase in wasteful spending compared to 2015.

"We must cut this out-of-control spending and ensure that spending constraints are in place if we are ever going to get our debt under control," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said.

The public watchdog group cited projects by the Department of Defense as excessively spending $20 million for alternative energy research.

A $40 million expenditure was flagged for upgrading the M1 Abrams tank, an expense that the Pentagon opposes and says they don't need. 

Another curious congressional expense was the $56.6 million for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, a program intended for border states but have not been extended to non-border states.

Making the "Pork Hall of Shame" this year is $8 billion for the aquatic plant control program.

"No one who reads this year's Pig Book can say there's nowhere left to cut federal spending," added Republican Study Committee Chair Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas.

Citizens Against Government Waste named Senator Minority Leader Harry Reid as "Porker of the Month."