In case you missed it on Wednesday night, I appeared on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News to discuss earmarks in the omnibus spending bill and the pay-to-play mentality in Congress. I've included the link to the segment for your convenience.

I also thought I'd share with you some of the most egregious examples of wasteful spending in the bill. Hold your nose...

• $1,800,000 for swine odor and manure management research in Iowa

• $475,000 for Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails of Statewide Significance in Maine

• $760,000 for the Bayside Promenade in Maine

• $475,000 for Railroad Quiet Zones in Hamburg, NY

• $196,514 for the Fairfield Kitchen Incubator in Alabama

• $428,000 for the United Autoworkers Region 9, Local 624 in New York, for incumbent worker training

• $71,000 for Dance Theatre Etcetera, Brooklyn, NY, for "Tolerance Through Arts" initiative

• $5,471,000 to the Iowa Department of Education to continue the "Harkin Grant Program"

• $864,000 Income Enhancement Demonstration, OH

• $2,192,000 Center for Grape Genetics, Geneva, NY

Also, on Wednesday the House of Representatives considered my privileged resolution calling for an ethics committee inquiry into the relationship between campaign contributions and earmarks. Unfortunately, we were defeated by a vote of 226 to 182. I will be introducing a similar resolution next week, focused specifically on the now-infamous PMA Group, a Washington, DC lobbying firm that is under FBI investigation. I am optimistic that we can get this resolution adopted. It's remarkable to me that a lobbying firm under investigation can continue to receive millions in taxpayer money for their clients.