The Wall Street Journal reports that Congress has (more or less) honored Obama’s request to cut earmarks in 2009:

The nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense reported today that there are 5,224 earmarks — home-state spending provisions added by individual lawmakers — totaling $3.9 billion in the latest five government-spending bills. That’s a 17% decrease from the $4.7 billion of earmarks in the same bills last year. The bills fund a slew of departments, agencies and programs, from the Labor and Commerce departments to military construction and public housing.

I’m a bit confused about the totals. Didn’t Congress pass $787 billion in earmarks this year?