AMERICANS FOR

CAMPAIGN REFORM
FACT SHEET

Money in Politics & Government Waste

1. Earmarks, Campaign Money, and Lobbying Figure 1: Growth in Total Number and Amount of
Expenditures Doubled Since 1998 Federal Appropriations Earmarks, 1998-2006
• The number of federal government earmarks--
$50 15,000
appropriations inserted by Members of Congress not Earmarks ($billions) Earmarks (#)
subject to regular budgetary procedures--tripled $45 12,500
$47 14,010
between 1998-2006 from 4,219 to 12,852 $45
12,852
• The amount of earmark spending nearly doubled from $40 10,000
$42 10,540
$28 billion in 1998 to $47 billion in 2006
• Total contributions to federal candidates and federal $35 7,500
lobbying expenditures increased by similar margins
from $750 million and $1.5 billion in 1998 to $1.4 billion $30 $33 5,000 6,073
and $2.6 billion in 2006, respectively
• Taxpayers spent an estimated $271 billion in total 4,219
$25 $28 2,500
earmark appropriations between 1991-2008, according to
Citizens Against Government Waste $20 0
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

2. Top Defense Earmark Recipients Spent

Heavily on Candidates and Lobbying Figure 2: Growth in Federal Campaign Contrib- utions
• The top ten recipients of defense industry earmarks in
and Lobbying, 1998-2006 (billions)
2008 contributed an average of $2.7 million each to
candidates for federal office from 2003-2008 $3.0
Campaign Contributions
• The top ten recipients spent an average of $4.9 million Lobbying Expenditures
each to lobby federal elected officials in 2008 $2.5
• The top ten recipients received an average of $88 million
in earmark spending in 2008, or $13 for every $1 spent to $2.0
influence federal elected officials
• The largest FY2008 defense industry earmark, $588 $1.5
million to accelerate production of Navy submarines,
was inserted against U.S. Navy requests: “In a report to $1.0
Congress, the Navy said boosting the production of
submarines early would disrupt its overall shipbuilding
$0.5
plan by shifting [funding[ from other important
programs.” (The Hill, 2/13/07)
$0
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006
3. Congressional Appropriators Received
Targeted Support from Earmark Recipients Figure 3: Contributions (2003-08) and Lobbying
• Defense industry earmark recipients contributed (2008) by Top Defense Earmark Recipients
disproportionately to Members of the House and Senate Defense Earmark Contribs. & Earmarks
Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, the Contractor Approps. Lobbying to Spending
primary defense appropriators, regardless of party
• The top five Senators providing earmarks in 2008
General Dynamics $648.0 $7.4 88:1
received an average of $259,573 in campaign
contributions from defense industry earmark recipients
Northrup-Grummon $91.7 $9.5 10:1
• The top five Representatives providing earmarks in 2008
received an average of $699,935 from defense industry
Alliant Tech $33.5 $2.1 16:1
earmark recipients
Honeywell $22.4 $6.3 4:1
Sources: Center for Responsive Politics, Center for Public Integrity,
Senate Office of Public Records, Citizens Against Government Waste Raytheon $21.8 $6.3 4:1

JOIN US AT YOU STREET, A GROWING MOVEMENT FOR CAMPAIGN REFORM • WWW.YOUSTREET.ORG

5 BICENTENNIAL SQUARE CONCORD, NH 03301 • TEL 603.227.0626 • INFO@YOUSTREET.ORG 8/25/09