Sandy Relief Slowed by Pork

Some of the provisions on the bill were trying to help things that had been affected by previous storms or disasters and that still remain unfixed. Other funds were being allocated towards investigating issues and preparing disaster-prone areas for future storms. Everything isn't as black and white as that WSJ article made it seem to be. I'd pull some information, but it seems I hit their paywall and am restricted from further access.

Btw, you don't know what specific equipment the DEA uses in their vehicles. Considering they are law enforcement, I wouldn't be surprised if they had custom-made vehicles with all kinds of sophisticated equipment. While idk if this was the best time for numerous fixes and agency-upgrades (so to speak), I'd imagine that some of them are important and worth taxpayer money.

When the DEA and other government agencies look for funding, do they usually do so via earmarking pre-existing legislation?

This is not posed as a sarcastic question, but as a genuinely inquisitive question. I think that certain provisions provided can be debated, but the intent behind whether such provisions were needed would beg to question why they would rely on senators to push essential and important provisions.

Some of the upgrades they are using probably will be well appropriated. Without a doubt. But the timing is horrible and I think it is appropriate to say that this may not be the proper use of regulatory channels if they have a serious need of this equipment. So whereas I think we agree that this money can be put to good use, it's not what this legislation is stipulated to originally be about pre-pork and now you're adding tons of pork on to the table probably because these agencies are not receiving appropriate funding for several projects they want done through regular channels. Pork at it's more innocuous state detracts the initial purpose of the legislation with side ear-marks. On a more manipulative level it is used by senators and agencies to get what they want at the expense of turning the original bill into something they want it to be. So again I have to push the point that the D.E.A. and the Secret Service, while probably being ok agencies, have very little involvement in Hurricane relief aid. Unless we are stipulating that the departments themselves are victims and need aid, then that is a vastly broader interpretation in which we are no longer considering civilian needs and individual support, but infrastructure and agency repair which really runs up costs on a whole different pay scale.