A pork barrel, literally, is a barrel in which pork is kept. The term is more commonly used as a political metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents or campaign contributors. This usage originated in American English.

Citizens Against Government Waste has released its list of the biggest pork barrel project abusers of the year. See who's doing their best to waste your tax dollars.

When is $20 billion in pork-barrel spending not enough? Answer: When "preventing a recession" becomes an excuse for Congress to spend more. They just gave us a 3,417-page "omnibus" bill, finishing the year with 11,000 special projects earmarks ($20 billion worth!) last year. Now they have a new excuse to add more: economic stimulus.

A government watchdog group is echoing calls for a complete cessation of earmark funding in Congress following one House Democrat's demand for the distribution of even more pork-barrel projects.

A leading conservative in the House is criticizing Democrats for failing to pass all but one major spending bills and instead opting for an omnibus measure he says is full of pork-barrel projects.

Even as House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer has joined in steps to clean up pork-barrel spending, the Maryland congressman has tucked $96 million worth of pet projects into next year's federal budget, including $450,000 for a campaign donor's foundation.