Pork Barrel Quotes

• The first pork-barrel bill that crosses my desk, I'm going to veto it and make the authors of those pork-barrel items famous all over America.

  John McCain

  America, Pork, Bills

  California Republican debate transcript, www.nbcnews.com. May 3, 2007.

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• I'm ashamed that Congress finds billions for pork-barrel subsidies but fails to find money for veterans' health care.

  John McCain

  Pork, Subsidies, Care

  "McCain picks up Thompson endorsement". www.cnn.com. August 18, 1999.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels.

  George H. W. Bush

  People, Pork, Defense

  54 Copy quote

• The bill's a textbook example of special interest pork barrel politics at work, and I have no choice but to veto it.

  Ronald Reagan

  Choices, Special, Pork

  United States. President (1981-1989 : Reagan), Ronald Reagan (1982). “Ronald Reagan”

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• Liberals believe and inexhaustible fund exists that can be tapped endlessly to pay for government social programs. Tax the rich and give it to a long line of moochers, pork barrel hustlers and ne'er-do-wells. These funds would otherwise have been employed as additional capital indispensable to economic progress.

  James Cook

  Believe, Government, Giving

  8 Copy quote

• I think there [are] great economies that can be made starting with a round of base closings, ... I want the president to veto these pork-barrel spending bills which have grown to incredible obscene levels. I believe there are a number of weapons systems that have to be eliminated.

  John McCain

  Believe, Thinking, Numbers

  4 Copy quote

• Does it make all the difference in the world? No. But there's a great deal of symbolism associated with whether we're going to add $24 billion to the debt in unwanted and unnecessary pork-barrel projects.

  John McCain

  Symbolism, Differences, Pork

  7 Copy quote

• The military budget is simply an enormous pork barrel of special privilege, the privileges taking the form of windfall profits, of no-risk profits and, most importantly, of enormous outlays of capital supplied by the Pentagon to arms contractors.

  Walter Karp

  Military, Risk, Special

  Walter Karp (1973). “Indispensable enemies: the politics of misrule in America”

  5 Copy quote

  Show source

• Conservatives in general, and even so called Tea Party conservatives, are not against transportation spending. Indeed, interstate commerce is one purpose of interstate highways and byways, and is one of the things the federal government is actually supposed to spend our tax dollars on. What conservatives are opposed to is needless and excessive spending, pork-barrel spending, deficit spending, spending to pick winners and losers among American individuals and corporations, and spending to promote the social and economic whims of the Washington few.

  Barry Loudermilk

  Party, Government, Tea

  6 Copy quote

• As for bread, I count that for nothin'. We always have bread and potatoes enough; but I hold a family to be in a desperate way when the mother can see the bottom of the pork barrel. Give me children that's raised on good sound pork afore all the game in the country. Game's good as a relish and so's bread; but pork is the staff of life... My children I calkerlate to bring up on pork with just as much bread and butter as they want.

  James F. Cooper

  Country, Mother, Children

  17 Copy quote