“The self licking ice cream cone” term was originated by a NASA Engineer who could no longer participate in the agency due to waste, fraud, and incompetence. None of which seemed to be of any concern to congress which seemed more focused on keeping the money coming aplenty instead of how it was being lost. I mean laundered.
I left NASA in ‘97, the stench was getting to be too much. Most of the competents were on their way out. By 2000 the career admin types and hack were all that was left. Given that contractors do all the actual work NASA was then about 60% overstuffed. The O-ring debacle decided it for me but it took a couple of years to do it properly with no ragged ends.