Bob Novak: Busting Pork

(Human Events) - An effort by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to add $15.6 billion worth of pork barrel spending to the bipartisan economic stimulus package failed in the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday, when Chairman Max Baucus rejected it.

On Monday, aides for all senators received an e-mail listing the amount of money for building infrastructure that each state would receive under the Wyden-Thune proposal. Pennsylvania with $1.3 billion and West Virginia with $1.2 billion led the list. The states of the proposal's co-sponsors would benefit by $251.2 million for Oregon and $181 million for South Dakota. The two most populous states, California and Texas, would receive nothing.

Baucus indicated his interest in infrastructure spending but also turned down a plea to commit himself to considering the proposals two months from now.