Despite Republican vows to rein in spending, it seems that pork is still king on Capitol Hill.
Whether it's research on manure management in Ames, Iowa; wolf monitoring in Idaho; bovine genetics in Beltsville, Md.; or tennis in Washington, D.C. — members of the House of Representatives have included these and dozens of other projects in spending bills due to be considered this week.
These "earmarks" are the latest examples of specific projects, with specific price tags, sought by specific members of Congress.
The lobby reform bill that passed the House two weeks ago would require that the lawmaker responsible for inserting an earmark be publicly identified. But that measure awaits a conference committee meeting to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Until the final bill is signed by the president, it is business as usual. In the meantime, the parentage of these measures can remain a mystery.
The earmarks come at a time when GOP leaders have made an effort to get back to their fiscally conservative roots. The idea is to rekindle enthusiasm among disaffected, disappointed conservatives in time for the November elections.
As a matter of fact, the following list was provided to NBC News by fiscal conservatives in the House and represents another escalation in their conflict with members of their own party who sit on the spending committees. The conservatives will mount an effort to strip many of these items out of the bills during floor debate, but they are not expected to succeed.
(It should be noted that because of the reasons stated above, it is not known whether a Republican or a Democrat has sponsored each individual item.)
$373,824 for Grapefruit Juice/Drug Interaction research in Temple, Texas.
$390,101 for Honey Bee Research (Varroa Mites) in Baton Rouge, La.
$668,570 for Diet Nutrition and Obesity Research in New Orleans, La.
$387,976 for Manure Management research (National Swine Research Center) in Ames, Iowa.
$66,000 for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation in DC
$300,000 for ivory-billed woodpecker research.
$1.5 million for construction of an entrance off Bladensburg Road for the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
Interior Department appropriations
$700,000 for wolf monitoring in Idaho.
$150,000 for Northern Aplomado falcon recovery efforts.
$200,000 for landscape work at Gettysburg.
$20 million for the Olympic National Park, Wash.
$2.96 million to replace lighting system at Wind Cave National Part, S.D.
$5 million to acquire land for a Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania.
$66,000 for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation in Washington, D.C.
$300,000 for ivory-billed woodpecker research.
$375,000 for a Central California Ozone Study, San Joaquin Valleywise Air Pollution Study Agency.
$1 million for Florida Department of Citrus Abscission Chemical Studies.
$2 million for Environmental Systems Center of Excellence at Syracuse University for indoor environmental quality and urban ecosystems sustainability research.
$1 million for Iowa State University project on mitigating emissions from egg farms.
$1 million for National Hispanic Health Farm Workers Initiative.
$6 million for the Chesapeake Bay program.
$1.4 million for gypsy moth slow-the-spread research.
$72,000 for sudden oak death research.
$16 million on southern pine beetle forest health initiative
$1 million for the South Lake Tahoe wildfire protection as a grant to the South Lake Tahoe Public Utility District.
$1.9 million for Allegheny National Forest recreation sites, PA.
$1 million for construction at the Pacific Crest National Scenic trial.
$17 million Phoenix SW Health Center.
$6.7 million for the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development.
$700,000 for the National Zoological Part to provide for staffing for the opening of the new Asia I exhibit and for enhanced pest control.
Page 49 of committee report lists heritage areas receiving funding (totals $13.9 million).
Agriculture appropriations
$447,009 for Barley Food Health Benefits in Beltsville, MD.
$244,077 for bee research in Weslaco, Texas.
$1.0 million for Bovine Genetics in Beltsville, MD.
$1.7 million for Cereal Crops in Fargo, ND
$790,744 for coffee and cocoa research in Beltsville, MD.
$490,354 for Corn Rootworm research in Ames, Iowa.
$373,824 for Grapefruit Juice/Drug Interaction research in Temple, Texas.
$390,101 for Honey Bee Research (Varroa Mites) in Baton Rouge, LA.
$668,570 for Diet Nutrition and Obesity Research in New Orleans, LA.
$387,976 for Manure Management research (National Swine Research Center) in Ames, Iowa.
$365,156 for potato breeding research in Aberdeen, Idaho.
$878,046 for Catfish Genome research in Auburn, Ala.
$3.6 million for climate forecasting in Florida.
$2.5 million for cotton research in Texas.
$1.14 million for the Center for Innovative Food Technology in Ohio .
$406,000 for agroecology in Maryland.
$1.9 million for Red Imported Fire Ants, in Stoneville, MS.
$450,000 for oyster post-harvest treatment in Florida
$24.184 million for eradication and control for Glassy-winged Sharpshooters/Pierce's Disease.
$20 million for eradication and control of Emerald Ash Borer.
$6.5 million for eradication and control of Sudden Oak Death.
$19.9 million for eradication and control of Asian Long-horned Beetle.
$2.7 million for eradication and control of Krnal bunt.
$150,000 for blackbird control in LA.
$940,000 for brown tree snake management in Guam.
Mike Viqueira covers Capitol Hill for NBC News