TCS’s database of earmarks  in the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill have landed with a THUD on our web site.

You will find 2,056 congressional earmarks worth $1.6 billion. A couple numbers for you: House THUD Approps Subcommittee Chair Olver pulled down $22.4 million in earmarks (w/ other mbrs), but his opposite number in the Senate, Sen. Murray (D-WA) more than doubled that up, pulling down $59.2 million in earmarks (w/ other mbrs). Check it out.

What a way to get the return from recess started. Of course nobody is quite sure where things will go. All recess it was pointing toward an omnibus of the 11 spending bills that are still not yet enacted two months in the fiscal year. They have to do something by December 14th when the current Continuing Resolution ends. The strategy of the Democratic leadership would be to try to bridge the budget chasm between them and the President and Congressional Republicans by splitting the difference – cutting the funding level in the remaining bills by $11B.

Peter Cohn at CongressDaily is reporting that House Appropriations Chairman Obey wanted to make further cuts in earmarks to help reach the goal, but his colleagues balked. Obey’s push makes sense, both mathematically and philosophically – how can you cut the overall spending levels in the bills but leave all of the earmarks intact. Sounds pretty selfish. Anyway, we are far from the end of this story.