Porkbarrel spending

page type::article

About
Porkbarrel spending (aka "pork-barrel" or "pork barrel" spending, frequently used without the "spending" qualifier) refers to a legislator obtaining (or attempting to obtain) federal funds for projects in their home districts/states that serve little or no purpose to the rest of the country.

The term apparently originates with an 1863 story in which it was a metaphor for any form of public spending benefiting the citizenry; the modern usage was established by 1873.