Senator Jeff Flake’s ‘Jurassic Pork’ Floor Speech

[rush transcript A Republican ░░░░░░░░ from Pennsylvania slipped an ░░░░░░░░ into a massive spending ░░░░░░░░ he turned a small ░░░░░░░░ of steam powered trains ░░░░░░░░ as steam town USA ░░░░░░░░ a national park three ░░░░░░░░ nearly 100 million and ░░░░░░░░ congressional earmark ban later ░░░░░░░░ project continues to cost ░░░░░░░░ millions of dollars annually ░░░░░░░░ bridge to nowhere the ░░░░░░░░ Carolina teapot museum the ░░░░░░░░ rain forest in Iowa ░░░░░░░░ yes steam town USA ░░░░░░░░ are among the many ░░░░░░░░ egregious ear marks earmarks ░░░░░░░░ extinct fossilized of a ░░░░░░░░ era are making an ░░░░░░░░ what Congress and many ░░░░░░░░ t realize is despite ░░░░░░░░ ban on earmarks we ░░░░░░░░ still paying millions of ░░░░░░░░ for the old ones ░░░░░░░░ unexpended funds ing carveouts ░░░░░░░░ a tax code spending ░░░░░░░░ past earmark projects and ░░░░░░░░ recipients these still roam ░░░░░░░░ federal budget landscape Today ░░░░░░░░ m releasing a report ░░░░░░░░ pork which will highlight ░░░░░░░░ fossilized pork projects that ░░░░░░░░ still embedded or buried ░░░░░░░░ in the federal budget ░░░░░░░░ should serve as a ░░░░░░░░ that the past scandals ░░░░░░░░ brought about the extinction ░░░░░░░░ earmarks and it also ░░░░░░░░ serve as a warning ░░░░░░░░ cost of earmarking because ░░░░░░░░ often outlive the practice ░░░░░░░░ Jurassic pork digs into ░░░░░░░░ two dozen of the ░░░░░░░░ earmarked projects and recipients ░░░░░░░░ congressional bounty that continue ░░░░░░░░ cost taxpayers millions of ░░░░░░░░ take for example the ░░░░░░░░ named Verasa R F ░░░░░░░░ A a bus rapid ░░░░░░░░ system in Colorado that ░░░░░░░░ 40 miles That began ░░░░░░░░ an 810 million earmark ░░░░░░░░ the earmark ban took ░░░░░░░░ in 2010 thanks to ░░░░░░░░ federal funding this project ░░░░░░░░ vestige has cost taxpayers ░░░░░░░░ million Also highlighted in ░░░░░░░░ report is the American ░░░░░░░░ theater which supplemented the ░░░░░░░░ of federal grant money ░░░░░░░░ more than 800 800 ░░░░░░░░ in earmarked funds from ░░░░░░░░ member of Congress who ░░░░░░░░ happened to perform in ░░░░░░░░ of the group s ░░░░░░░░ productions then there are ░░░░░░░░ 6 000 unspent highway ░░░░░░░░ representing 5 9 billion ░░░░░░░░ sit idle in the ░░░░░░░░ of Transportation account these ░░░░░░░░ pork projects like the ░░░░░░░░ 000 upper Delaware scenic ░░░░░░░░ visitors center in jusecton ░░░░░░░░ York unfortunately for taxpayers ░░░░░░░░ visitors center ended up ░░░░░░░░ built in Narrowsburg because ░░░░░░░░ specification was identified as ░░░░░░░░ the money will likely ░░░░░░░░ to sit on the ░░░░░░░░ s ledger Within these ░░░░░░░░ transportation earmarks there is ░░░░░░░░ smaller group that are ░░░░░░░░ referred to as orphan ░░░░░░░░ These are earmarks that ░░░░░░░░ had less than 10 ░░░░░░░░ their expended or their ░░░░░░░░ funds spent over 10 ░░░░░░░░ According to the congressional ░░░░░░░░ service 70 earmarks worth ░░░░░░░░ than 120 million remain ░░░░░░░░ the books and in ░░░░░░░░ 2015 more than 1 ░░░░░░░░ earmarks from the last ░░░░░░░░ highway bill that was ░░░░░░░░ in 2005 these will ░░░░░░░░ become orphan earmarks These ░░░░░░░░ 2 billion in yet ░░░░░░░░ be spent funds now ░░░░░░░░ the near bankrupt highway ░░░░░░░░ fund Congress needs to ░░░░░░░░ find a way to ░░░░░░░░ park these unspent funds ░░░░░░░░ that end I ve ░░░░░░░░ introduced a Jurassic pork ░░░░░░░░ which will rescind funding ░░░░░░░░ orphan earmarks and it ░░░░░░░░ return this money to ░░░░░░░░ highway trust fund We ░░░░░░░░ know the highway trust ░░░░░░░░ could use it about ░░░░░░░░ now like John Hammond ░░░░░░░░ billionaire CEO of the ░░░░░░░░ Jurassic Pork in the ░░░░░░░░ film not everyone in ░░░░░░░░ is content to leave ░░░░░░░░ as relics of the ░░░░░░░░ Not a year after ░░░░░░░░ earmark ban was implemented ░░░░░░░░ the Senate the then ░░░░░░░░ leader proclaimed quote I ░░░░░░░░ done earmarks all my ░░░░░░░░ and I m happy ░░░░░░░░ ve done earmarks all ░░░░░░░░ career Others from both ░░░░░░░░ of the aisle have ░░░░░░░░ that a return to ░░░░░░░░ would help to lard ░░░░░░░░ or incentivize votes But ░░░░░░░░ don t exist for ░░░░░░░░ horse trading nor as ░░░░░░░░ reward for powerful members ░░░░░░░░ dole out as tribute ░░░░░░░░ need to remain vigilant ░░░░░░░░ all these kinds of ░░░░░░░░ spending that we cannot ░░░░░░░░ to pork as we ░░░░░░░░ it Now the moratorium ░░░░░░░░ earmarks in 2010 did ░░░░░░░░ an end to these ░░░░░░░░ of shenanigans but as ░░░░░░░░ of Jurassic Pork will ░░░░░░░░ the spending on their ░░░░░░░░ continues Now taxpayers have ░░░░░░░░ seen the end of ░░░░░░░░ movie We don t ░░░░░░░░ to be treated to ░░░░░░░░ sequel Mr President I ░░░░░░░░ the floor and i ░░░░░░░░ the absence of a ░░░░░░░░