Millions of dollars earmarked by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., for his eponymous homeland security institute have been directed to the congressman's associates despite few funded projects having completed their stated goals, a Washington Post investigation alleges.

"In a district that also boasts a regional airport named for Murtha and nearly a dozen other facilities bearing his name, the institute is another example of how the congressman has used federal money to revitalize this economically depressed former coal-mining region," the article reports. "In doing so, he has raised questions among watchdog groups and outside critics about using taxpayer money to fund projects that appear to mostly benefit Murtha loyalists."

The John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security, located at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded $50 million in federal funds, and Murtha "sought another earmark this year before abruptly changing course as investigations of his defense appropriations and lobbying connections heated up," the article says.