When Army Secretary John McHugh was Congressman John McHugh,  he was able to secure millions and millions of dollars for Fort Drum, using what are known as earmarks.

That money has been used for construction, training facilities and other projects. 

It's money Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman says he would not try to secure because he has signed an agreement to not request earmarks.

That agreement is with the taxpayer watch dog group Citizens Against Government Waste. 

In a statement, Hoffman says earmarks hurt more than they help.

He says billions of dollars in defense spending have been diverted to politicians for pet projects.

Here's the catch - over the years earmarks have funded dozens of projects on Fort Drum.

By using earmarks, former Congressman John McHugh secured millions of dollars for Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield and the Fort Drum connector road.  

This money has modernized Fort Drum, helping to keep the post off any base closure lists.

The other candidates for the 23rd Congressional District are weighing in on the subject.

Republican Dede Scozzafava says it's foolish of Hoffman to simply write off pork barrel projects, especially when they help the north country.

"Fort Drum might not have made it through the Base Realignment and Closure without earmarks and they definitely provided infrastructure that supported a new brigade coming in," said Scozzafava.

Democrat Bill Owens says he would also try to secure earmarks for Fort Drum.

In his own defense Hoffman has fired back, saying that earmark spending actually hurts the Army more than it helps.

He says in 2010, $2.6 billion will be stripped from military funding for earmarks and pet projects.

He says he'll fight for Fort Drum funding, but refuses to do it through earmarks.

What Hoffman hasn't addressed is how he plans on securing that sort of cash for Fort Drum if he doesn't plan on requesting earmarks.

We weren't able to reach Hoffman for comment Monday morning or early afternoon.