Bond Touts Omnibus Earmarks, McCaskill Votes 'No'

Senator Claire McCaskill was one of just three Democrats who voted against a $1.1 trillion dollar spending bill that included millions of dollars for projects around the Ozarks.

Sen. Kit Bond touted $118 million dollars in earmarked projects for Missouri in the omnibus spending bill he did not vote on.

Those projects include:

• $1 million for technology upgrades at Missouri State University
• $1 million for construction at James River Freeway and Campbell in Springfield
• $750,000 for upgrades at the Jordan Valley Community Health Center
• $584,000 for an Army Brigade Headquarters to be built at Ft. Leonard Wood
• $2.75 million for a new airport runway in Lamar
• $1.25 million for new interchange at Highway 13 in Osceola

The Associated Press notes that McCaskill, Sens. Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold "voted no only after (Sen. Joe) Lieberman arrived to ensure the bill would advance." All but three Republicans opposed the measure as "wasteful spending".

McCaskill TWEETED Sunday night that she voted 'no" because of a 10 percent spending increase over last year and "wayyyyy too many earmarks."

"Too often unaccountable bureaucrats don’t understand state and local needs," Bond said in a statement. "Local and community leaders in Missouri asked me to help send some of their tax dollars back home for local priorities and with today’s passage these critical projects are close to becoming a reality," he added.