Project On Government Oversight (POGO): The Earmark from Nowhere
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2007
11:04 AM
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CONTACT: Project On Government Oversight (POGO)
Jennifer Porter Gore
jgore@pogo.org
202.347.1122
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The Earmark from Nowhere
$90 Million Earmark Remains “Classified”
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WASHINGTON - April 25 - Analysis by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has found that two years after it was approved a $90 million earmark for classified spending continues to have an unknown source.
The furtive funds make up the third-largest defense earmark approved that year—earmarks to Boeing were the first- and second-largest totaling $378 million, according to the the White House's recently released database of FY 2005 earmarks.
Although the earmark has an unidentified author, the funds went to the Department of Defense's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy headed by Douglas J. Feith at the time, as noted in the Defense Department FY2005 Appropriations report (page 351, line 116: "Classified Program USD(P)).
“This earmark raises so many questions including why a policy office would need to receive earmarked funds,” notes POGO Defense Investigator Nick Schwellenbach. “Unfortunately, because the earmark is classified we don’t know how the money was used.”
In recent months, Congress has considered proposals to improve transparency and accountability for classified earmarks, which were abused by convicted former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham who steered money to defense contractors in exchange for bribes.
For information on the $90 million classified earmark click here
Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight is an independent nonprofit which investigates and exposes corruption and other misconduct in order to achieve a more accountable federal government.
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