April 25, 2007

The Earmark from Nowhere
$90 million earmark remains “classified”
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jennifer Porter Gore jgore@pogo.org (202) 347-1122

 WASHINGTON — 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 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.

Follow the link for information on the $90 million classified earmark.

Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is an independent nonprofit that investigates and exposes corruption in order to achieve a more accountable federal government.

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