A Fight that has No Partisan Lines

The Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) is thought to be one of the largest pieces of pork barrel legislation. Opposition to it builds a unique partnership of strong fiscal conservatives and conservationists.

The National Taxpayer’s Union (NTU) uses the WRDA bill in the voter scorecard it publishes to rank how well Members of Congress are protecting our tax dollars. NTU strongly oppose the bill because of the number of special projects Members of Congress embed into the legislation and promote reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers in how they implement water projects. Urging Congress to reform the Corps is the link that builds this partnership as it is a main focus of Conservationists to ensure water resources are protected for the future. These organizations are working with Senators Feingold and McCain to establish an independent Water Resources Commission to prioritize water projects in the future.

Prioritization is a topic that for some reason draws support from an unlikely crowd in the conservation community that not too many people know about. In the past has been defeated by Barbara Boxer, who was able to whip votes against an amendment back in July of 2006. But this is an issue that receives strong support in protecting tax dollars and the environment from Presidential candidates across the political spectrum such as, Senator McCain (R-AZ) as the lead champion, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT).