Definition of Pork Barrel Spending

What does "pork barrel spending" mean? What is the definition of the term "pork barrel spending"?

"Pork barrel spending" is when government funds are spent to benefit a certain politician's constituents. The general idea is that if a representative's district is given a big new project that ends up bringing in a substantial amount of money to the area, then the politician will be "repaid" through votes and campaign contributions.

According to Wikipedia.org, "pork-barrel projects are added to the federal budget by members of the appropriation committees of United States Congress".

"Pork barrel spending" is also known as "earmarks".

One of the most famous examples of "pork barrel spending" was the "Bridge to Nowhere" that was mentioned often during the 2008 Presidential election.


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