Pork-Barrel Projects

The watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste has come with their 2006 Congressional Pig Book which compiles the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget. The report includes the Oinker Awards, State Rankings, Historical Trends, and a searchable index.

All of the pork-barrel projects meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Requested by only one chamber of Congress
2. Not specifically authorized
3. Not competitively awarded
4. Not requested by the President
5. Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding
6. Not the subject of congressional hearings
7. Serves only a local or special interest

Each of the listed designated projects includes the cost, the state, a description, and an indication why it was a pork-barrel project.

While some of the projects are amusing, such as the $500,000 for the Sparta Teapot Museum in Sparta, North Carolina, and other maybe appropriate uses of money, such as the $1,000,000 for the Ohio State University 4-H Green Building Project, all of these appropriations circumvent normal budgetary procedures.

Other highlights from the website include the "Byrd Droppings" and a sortable list of Congresspeople and their pork ranking.