Sandy bill pork earmarked for Gulf Coast states: Gift to 7 Republican Senators to ensure passage

[Justice]

"....the pork portions of the [Sandy] Senate bill were NOT earmarked to benefit Democratic members of the upper chamber of Congress." (my emphasis)


Reid strategized to buy off 7 Republican senators to get them to not filibuster Sandy bill that would benefit blue states Adding in these pork benefits for his Republican colleagues insured passage of the relief bill

None of these GOP senators including Cruz asked to have pork be removed from the Sandy bill so as to save the nation a few billion bucks.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/01/03/pork-holding-up-senate-sandy-relief-bill-funneled-into-the-troughs-of-gop-deficit-hawks-you-betcha/


Edited to add that the comments to the Forbes article are excellent - lots of specific detail