New Orleans Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao is one of only three Republicans to defy the House GOP's self-imposed one-year moratorium on earmark requests. Saying that New Orleans' needs are too great to abide by a ban on earmarks, Cao has submitted appropriations requests for about 75 projects -- running the gamut from levee improvements to health care -- totaling about $420 million. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, the only Democrat in Louisiana's House delegation, has made 72 requests totaling $530 million.
