The Washington Times reports that pork-loving members of the U.S. Senate diverted about $2.6 billion in funding for our troops in harms way, money intended to purchase ammunition and fuel, in order to fund their pet projects.

Yes, they shifted funding from our troops to building an institute named after Ted Kennedy.

Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.

Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.

While earmarks are hardly new in Washington, “in 30 years on Capitol Hill, I never saw Congress mangle the defense budget as badly as this year,” said Winslow Wheeler, a former Senate staffer who worked on defense funding and oversight for both Republicans and Democrats. He is now a senior fellow at the Center for Defense Information, an independent research organization.

Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, called the transfer of funds from Pentagon operations and maintenance “a disgrace.”

“The Senate is putting favorable headlines back home above our men and women fighting on the front lines,” he said in a statement.

Congress has done many disgraceful things in its time, but this just might be the worst. We’re in the middle of fighting two wars and are dealing with increasing global hostilities every day. Yet Congress is busy diverting funds from defense appropriations to pay for their porky pet projects. It goes beyond disgraceful; it’s just plain vile.

Members of Congress responsible for this should return the money, or if it’s too late to do that, they should resign. I don’t care which side of the aisle they come from, they don’t belong in the halls of Congress.

Via Hot Air.