Hawaii's Sen. Inouye defends earmarks for his home state
By John Yaukey
Advertiser Washington Bureau
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WASHINGTON — Seniority has its privileges.
But it comes with burdens as well.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, new chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, can attest to that as he shepherds through federal spending bills that are boons for Hawai'i but that deficit hawks have been attacking amid fierce debates over federal spending and spiking deficits.
That was especially evident in the last week during debate over a $636 billion military spending bill flush with money for Hawai'i.
In the defense bill alone, Inouye has 31 earmarks worth $178 million, and four earmarks worth $28.5 million in concert with other members, according to Washington-based Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group.
Earmarks refer to funding for pet projects that lawmakers insert in spending bills, often at the behest of lobbyists working for corporations, universities and other clients. Critics say the projects amount to no-bid contracts.
As the defense bill was debated, Inouye faced attacks from budget hawks, some of whom say defense earmarks draw funds from troops in combat.
But in a recent interview, Inouye was unrepentant about his prowess as a bacon-getter for Hawai'i — and about the constitutional power of Congress to spend money.
"This is the legislative branch doing its job," the taciturn eight-term senator said in his characteristic baritone. "If this spending is not necessary, then it shouldn't be appropriated."
Inouye is doing much of that appropriating now as Congress' 12 annual spending bills move toward passage.
Overall, Congress is on its way to spending $75 billion, or 7 percent, more in 2010 than it did in 2009, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly.
Hawai'i consistently ranks among the top 10 states in federal spending per capita, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Consolidated Federal Funds Report.
Earmark proponents argue that their budget inserts often provide funding to organizations that do good work but otherwise wouldn't get federal money.
Many are small businesses, Inouye pointed out.
"You think they would be able to compete with GE?" he said. "No way."
Earmarking is bipartisan, with tradition dictating that the majority party gets about 60 percent, according to breakdowns by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Inouye's Republican counterpart on the Appropriations Committee, Mississippi's Thad Cochran, has sponsored 13 earmarks worth $50 million on his own, co-sponsoring another 35 worth $166 million.
Not surprisingly, almost all of Inouye's defense earmarks are for programs in Hawai'i.
And some are whoppers, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. It found that 18 provisions, totaling more than $68 million, are for interests that have donated more than $300,000 to Inouye's campaign since 2007.
Inouye, who is up for re-election in 2010, can take credit for three of the five largest defense earmarks in the 2010 budget:
A cursory scan of other spending bills reinforces how well Hawai'i looks to fare across the federal spending spectrum in fiscal 2010:
Even for an appropriations chairman, this is a noteworthy performance.
"He's at the top of the heap," said Laura Peterson of the Center for Responsive Politics.
Inouye's reach as the Senate's top banker was apparent early in his appropriations chairmanship, which began with Barack Obama's election to the White House.
In March, when lawmakers took up a $410 billion stopgap spending measure, second-term Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, led the 435-member House with more than $138 million in earmarks. That was in large part because they were sponsored by Inouye.
In fourth place was Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, with $111.4 million.
But this is not what the White House wanted.
Obama campaigned to slash earmarks to the 1994 level of $7.8 billion. Still, Congress is on track to spend more than double the president's limit.
In this year's spending bills, all but four Republicans and three Democrats in the Senate have accepted earmarks for their states, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
But the opponents have been vocal.
As the defense bill was debated, Inouye and Arizona's budget hawk, GOP Sen. John McCain, clashed over, among other things, $2.5 billion for 10 new C-17 cargo planes.
The Pentagon has said it doesn't need them, but Inouye supported the expenditure, arguing that shutting down the production line of such a versatile plane would be unwise.
McCain contended that it would draw money needed for basic military operations.
"This legislation should be vetoed in its present form," McCain said.
Obama agrees.
"Every dollar wasted in our defense budget is a dollar we can't spend to care for our troops, protect America or prepare for the future," he said in an August speech to veterans in Arizona, citing some of the weapons Inouye supports.
As the second-longest-serving active senator, Inouye knows the power of Capitol Hill and the limits of even the most popular president.
"Any president can hope, dream, wish and cajole," said Dave Levinthal, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics. "But in the end, he doesn't run the Congress, and Congress will do what it wants."
Reach John Yaukey at jyaukey@gannett.com.
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