The following is a transcript of a report by Paul Van Osdol that first aired Feb. 15, 2008, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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A Team 4 investigation found millions of your tax dollars going to a local government agency that many in Washington, including President George W. Bush, believe is a waste.

But a powerful local congressman has kept the money flowing.

In July 1977, a flood devastated Johnstown, killing 80 people and destroying the downtown. Many businesses never recovered, including the Penn Traffic department store.

But in the early 1990s, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, persuaded Washington to move a new federal agency, the National Drug Intelligence Center, into the old department store.

Now, more than 300 people work there, and it's one of Johnstown's biggest employers.

"Our payroll represents several million dollars a year to the Johnstown economy," said Michael Walther of the NDIC.

That's good for Johnstown, but critics said the NDIC has not been good for taxpayers.

Team 4's Paul Van Osdol talked to a former top administrator at the federal Drug Enforcement Agency who helped create the intelligence center in the early 1990s. He had serious concerns about its effectiveness back then, and he said nothing has changed.

"There's no question that all the senior people in federal law enforcement saw, really, no reason for it," said former DEA deputy Jim Milford.

"We don't tell the police which doors to kick in or which cars to search, but what we do is we look at the big picture," said Walther.

They also do something called document exploitation, which is analyzing records seized in drug raids.

Critics of the intelligence center said it's an important function, but it makes no sense for agents working along the Mexican border to haul those records to Johnstown.

"It would be better if there was a document exploitation computer forensics group in each field division of the FBI and DEA," said Milford.

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has been a persistent critic of the center.

"When you talk to the Justice Department, when you talk to the military, when you talk to everybody that's been involved in this, very rarely do you get a supportive statement about what happens at NDIC," said Coburn.

In fact, for the past three years, Bush has tried to eliminate the $40 million-per-year center by taking it out of the budget.

But Murtha, one of the most powerful members of Congress, has made sure the money stayed in the budget. It's called earmarking, and Murtha has used it to funnel millions of dollars into local projects, making him, according to the New York Times, the "King of Pork."

Van Osdol: "Where would you guys be without (John) Murtha?"

Walther: "Well, he has been very good to us."

Murtha declined Team 4's request for an interview. But Van Osdol caught up with him in Washington, where he was speaking to a group of Pentagon contractors.

Van Osdol: "Congressman, what about the National Drug Intelligence Center?"

Murtha: "You're from WTAE?"

Van Osdol: "Yes, sir."

Murtha: "Nice to see you."

Van Osdol: "What are you going to do to secure funding for that, sir?"

When Van Osdol tried to keep asking questions, one of Murtha's men tried to block the television camera.

Van Osdol: "Congressman, can you respond to the criticism that people say NDIC is just a pork barrel program?"

Murtha: "No comment. How's that?"

Van Osdol: "Why don't you want to talk about that program, sir?"

Murtha: "Just talk to them about it. Talk to NDIC."

Van Osdol: "We've talked to NDIC."

Murtha: "What did they tell you?"

Van Osdol: "They say you are the man who keeps it going."

Murtha: "That's right. You got that right."

But Murtha had plenty to say when U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., tried to take the Intelligence Center out of the budget last year.

Murtha allegedly told him, "I hope you don't have any earmarks in the Defense Appropriation Bill, because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever."

An attempt to reprimand Murtha over that statement failed to get enough votes.

Coburn said the Intelligence Center symbolizes all that is wrong with Washington.

"We can't continue to have members of Congress -- on a whim, because they want to help somebody -- throw $500 million at a problem without expecting legitimate, measurable results," said Colburn.

But the center's director expects the flow of money to continue.

"Everybody knows, in their heart of hearts, at the end of the day, we're not going anyplace," said Walther.

Milford said he's semi-surprised the center still exists.

"I'm surprised from a standpoint of the resources that are available to law enforcement today, that people continue to push a center such as that, that, frankly, as far as I'm concerned, has never been effective," said Milford.

A study by the group Taxpayers for Common Sense found Murtha led all House members in earmarks this year with $176 million in local projects. Congress passed 12,000 earmarks, costing $18 billion.

In his State of the Union speech, Bush proposed eliminating earmarks. Political experts said there is little chance of that happening. In fact, Murtha's committee has already set up a link on its Web site for congressmen to make earmark requests.

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