Expeditures in the United States

Pork Barrel Projects (in Politics)

Related to political science, the following is a definition of Pork Barrel Projects in the U.S. practice of politics: Wasteful government expeditures that lawmakers secure for their local districts in an attempt to gain favor with voters.

The term first came into use as a political term just after the Civil War. It’s derived from the practice of plantations distributing rations of salt pork to slaves from large wooden barrels as a reward or for special occasions