Taxpayers for Common Sense released a list of the biggest earmarkers in the Senate. The list only includes earmarks from the FY 2009 Omnibus bill, leaving out three spending bills that were passed in the fall (Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction/Veterans Affairs). Those 3 bills contained 2,000 earmarks, totaling $6.6 billion.

Atop the list is Senator Robert Byrd (D) of West Virginia. Senator Byrd is not only the oldest and longest serving member of the Senate, but he also takes the crown as the Senate Earmark King. Here’s the top 20:


1. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.): $122,804,900
2. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.): $114,484,250
3. Kit Bond (R-Mo.): $85,691,491
4. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.): $76,899,425
5. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.): $75,908,475
6. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): $74,000,750
7. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa): $66,860,000
8. James Inhofe (R-Okla.): $53,133,500
9. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): $51,186,000
10. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii): $46,380,205
11. Patty Murray (D-Wash.): $39,228,250
12. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.): $36,547,100
13. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.): $36,161,125
14. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): $35,577,250
15. Robert Casey (D-Pa.): $27,169,750
16. Harry Reid (D-Nev.): $26,628,613
17. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.): $25,320,000
18. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.): $23,832,000
19. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.): $21,952,250
20. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), retired: $19,588,625

"The entire earmark process needs to be re-examined and reformed." – Then-Senator Obama (April 2008).

What happened?