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Main Entry: pork Pronunciation: ‘pOrk Function: noun In American political slang, it is politics (including government money, jobs, or favors) dealing with funding at the Federal level of local projects with little or no national significance yielding rich patronage benefits. In a literal sense a “pork barrel” is a barrel in which pork is kept, but figuratively speaking it is a supply of money, often the source of one’s livelihood. |
This week’s pork, served fresh, hot, and steamy: In an April 2006 Government Accountability Office report from April 2003 to September 2004, the State Department spent $94 million on first and business class tickets that were unauthorized, unjustified, or both. Sixty-seven percent of premium class travel fell into this category. Some of the most flagrant abuse came at the hands of senior employees. One presidential appointee bought 45 premium-class tickets at a cost of $213,000.
The department also paid $6 million for unused tickets and has admitted that it does not bother to investigate whether or not tickets are used. In one instance, two identical business class tickets were purchased for the same trip between Ethiopia and New Mexico. One set of tickets valued at over $8,000 was never used. The State Department also failed to properly reconcile or dispute $420,000 in unauthorized charges with Citibank, its creditor.
Federal regulations stipulate that travelers fly coach for official domestic and international travel. Premium class tickets are authorized only under extenuating circumstances, such as when a flight last more than 14 hours, and must be approved on a case-by-case basis. According to the GAO report, top State Department executives used premium class travel regardless of the length of the flight, pressuring employees beneath them to sign blanket authorizations for all travel over a period of time.
Government Accountability Office, State Department
