Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker said Wednesday he was "joining with other conservatives in calling for a ‘pork free’ emergency spending bill, which is under consideration today in the United States Senate."
He said, “Spending in Washington is out of control. By adding wasteful pork projects to a so-called ‘emergency spending’ bill, the Congress is once again abandoning our fiscal conservative principles. In the Senate, I will work with other conservatives to end this type of reckless spending.”
The House passed a $92 billion bill last month, while the Senate is considering a $106.5 billion version. According to Citizens Against Government Waste, the Senate has added $14 billion to the President’s emergency spending request, including $700 million to relocate the newly repaired CSX rail line (the "Railway to Nowhere") and $20 million for AmeriCorps (CAGW Press Release, 4/25/06).
“In this time of record debt, it is entirely inappropriate for Congress to continue to spend in such an irresponsible manner. As mayor and as Commissioner of Finance and Administration, we applied fiscally conservative principles to government spending, and in the Senate, I will do the same,” said Corker.