Bachmann says she hasn’t requested earmarks, but she has

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann told the Fox Business channel on Thursday that she hasn’t taken any earmarks for her district. But government watchdog groups say she has requested them—seven, to be precise, totaling $3,767,600, since she was elected to the U.S. House.

BACHMANN: I think it is possible. I took a pledge in my own district. I have not taken earmarks in the last three years that I have been in Congress because the system is so corrupt. It’s possible to make that pledge.

According to the earmark database at Legistorm, in 2008, Bachmann requested $94,000 for the Sheriffs Youth Programs and $335,000 for the Northland Medical Center to purchase equipment. Also in 2008, along with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Bachmann requested $803,600 for replacement buses for St. Cloud Metro Bus, $490,000 for Highway 241 improvements and $1,265,000 Stillwater for general construction funds. She, along with Democratic Reps. Tim Walz and Keith Ellison, requested $302,000 for facilities and equipment at the Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. And, along with Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, Bachmann requested $478,000 for health-information systems for HealthEast Care System.

Hat tip: Dump Bachmann