Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.





Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)

Washington Office:
Phone: 202-224-5744
Fax: 202-224-3416

CAGW Names Richard Shelby June Porker of the Month

(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, June Porker of the Month for blocking the Obama administration’s attempts to eliminate funding for the Constellation program, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program which is chronically behind schedule and over budget.

Initiated under former President George W. Bush, Constellation is NASA’s first major foray back into space. The plan is to develop the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle to return to the moon and eventually send humans to Mars. However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has criticized NASA’s management of the program, saying that it “is still struggling to develop a solid business case - including firm requirements, mature technologies, a knowledge-based acquisition strategy, a realistic cost estimate, and sufficient funding and time - needed to justify moving the Constellation program forward into the implementation phase…NASA estimates that Ares I and Orion represent up to $49 billion of the over $97 billion estimated to be spent on the Constellation program through 2020. While the agency has already obligated more than $10 billion in contracts, at this point NASA does not know how much Ares I and Orion will ultimately cost, and will not know until technical and design challenges have been addressed.â€