posted October 18, 2013 03:40 PM            

You have to hand it to a Congress that finds no bill is off limits for pork.

Here are five most surprising provisions to the bill:

1. RIVER PROJECT

Kentucky kickback?: $2.2 billion. That's the amount in additional cash authorized for a project that involved a dam and decades-old locks on a river that flows through Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's home state of Kentucky. Sounds kinda fishy, but a Democratic senate aid and a Republican senator say it's on the level. The aide tells CNN that McConnell didn't push for the project to be included. And Sen. Lamar Alexander, who's a key figure on the committee that oversees what water projects get what money, says he and another senator asked for the cash. He tells CNN's Chris Frates the new money -- which more than triples the original $775 million -- will save the federal government many millions because contracts won't be canceled due to work stoppages. Still, the Senate Conservatives Fund calls the money a "Kentucky Kickback."

What's open for business again

2. FLOOD RECOVERY FUNDS

Bridge to somewhere: This one's a lot less controversial than the river project money. Congress OK'd $450 million for rebuilding projects in flood-struck areas of Colorado. That's well over the limit of $100 million for the Department of Transportation as allowed in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act. Wednesday's authorization used similar language to a bill that died last month after the House declined to vote on it, according to Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado. He said Coloradans had been resilient, but they needed the money because "it's time to let us get to work" rebuilding roads and bridges wiped out by overflowing rivers.

Nine things we missed during the shutdown

3. LATE SENATOR'S WIDOW

For decades of service: Frank Lautenberg served in the Senate for almost 30 years. He died in June of viral pneumonia. This nation owed him a great deal. Congress has almost always approved a death benefit gift to the family equal to one year's salary, which they provided for Lautenberg's widow, Bonnie, in the bill. The thing is ... Lautenberg was one of the richest members of Congress and was worth more than $59 million as of 2011, according to The Hill. You can see why some people think it might not be a terrible thing to forgo $174,000 to the family. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/politics/new-debt-deal-pork/index.html

posted October 19, 2013 11:08 AM            

Yes, There is nothing funny about it

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posted October 20, 2013 12:09 AM            

They should all be prosecuted.