Members of Congress promised an end to earmarks, but guess what? They found another way to spend your money.

In this Memorial Day weekend, the fleet has arrived in New York. I’ll speak to a Marine who survived being shot and is headed back to combat in Afghanistan.

Yes, they say they have banned earmarks, but somehow lawmakers are finding a way to keep the money on hand. They’re taking it from other projects. So, instead of cutting that money from the bottom line, they’re funneling it to a little known Pentagon fund.

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Joining me now, Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Is it disingenuous for Congress to talk about cuts while funneling money to this fund? And they said they were getting rid of earmarks. But is this just sort of a way to get around that?

And so, here in Washington, they’re talking about cuts — they’re talking about competition. But when they go back to their district, they are talking about bringing home the bacon, just like they always have.

ELLIS: Well, you know, some of that is going to depend on what happens in the long run. But in reality, you can game the system such that it’s a very one-sided competition. I mean, if you’re giving funding to a project that’s gotten funding year after year after year, for instance, Representative Hunter from southern California got $5 million for a brown-out — basically a helicopter sensor. And he’s gotten funding for that project in each of the last three fiscal years.

JOHNS: Now, you know, Steve, over the years, you and I have talked many times about earmarks and the one thing we always have to say is, this is just a drop in the bucket when you look at the entire budget. What is the reason why this actually matters to Americans?

JOHNS: Picking the winners and losers. That’s the thing. Thanks so much, Steve Ellis, for coming in on the holiday weekend and I’ll see you back in the nation’s capital.

Bypassing the Earmark Ban (CNN Sunday Morning)