Democratic Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer were jointly named "Porker of the Month" today by the non-partisan Citizens Against Government Waste advocacy group:

Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer were jointly named "Porker of the Month" Thursday by a citizens advocacy group.

The non-partisan Citizens Against Government Waste, which fights pork barrel projects in government, said the two made the designation because of the New Yorkers' pledge to oppose President George W. Bush's intention to end the government's $4.7 billion Community Development Block Grant program to curb spending.

The CDBG provides money to cities and towns for development, but the administration argues it is ineffective and redundant. In his 2006 budget proposal, Bush suggested taking the program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and merging with similar, more effective programs under the Department of Commerce so that cities would need to list proposed projects in advance and compete for approval.

The advocacy group criticized Clinton and Schumer for saying the current program, rife with mismanagement and waste, is essential for development in New York.

Past grants to New York, it said, included $25,000 for a music conservatory in Westchester County, one of the richest in the state, and $500,000 for street improvement there.