Some of what is in the Stimulus Bill

By Jamie Dupree

Spending In The Senate Stimulus Bill
By Jamie Dupree @ February 2, 2009 12:00 AM Permalink | Comments ( | TrackBacks (0)
Just like I did a week ago with the House version of the economic stimulus bill, I have gone through the Senate bill in search of what money is being spent on which programs.
My favorite is definitely the $350 million to develop and maintain a "broadband inventory map" at the Department of Commerce.

There is also a $125 million payment to the Washington, D.C. Water and Sewer Authority.

And then there is $248 million in security for new headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security.

Don't forget the $500 million for upgrades and construction of new fire stations. That money would be sent out by the feds, meaning it won't be Congressional pork, but instead will be Executive Branch pork.

Here's a lengthy list of spending programs in the Senate bill.

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$300 million for replacement, modernization, upgrades of agriculture labs and other facilities

$100 million in competitive grants for USDA research and education activities

$171 million in "Salaries and Expenses" for the Farm Service Agency

$400 million in farm owndership loans

$275 million for "Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations"

$120 million for "Watershed Rehabilitation Program"

$110 million for "Rural Development, Salaries and Expenses"

$11.4 billion for rural housing loans

$127 million for Rural Community Facilities Programs

$150 million for Rural Business loans and grants

$200 million in "Biorefinery Assistance"

$50 million in rural energy assistance

$1.375 billion for "Rural Water and Waste Disposal"

$200 million in "Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband"

$198 million in school lunch funding

$500 million for special WIC supplemental nutrition program

$150 million for "Commodity Assistance Program"

$200 million in farm disaster assistance funds

$28 million for emergency farm loans

$100 million in grants for "aquaculture producers" hit by high feed costs in 2008


Title II

$20 million for "Operations and Administration" of Bureau of Industry and Security

$150 million in "Economic Development Assistance Programs"

$1 billion for the 2010 Census

$9 billion for "Broadband Technology Opportunities Program" at NTIA

of that, $350 million to develop and maintain a "broadband inventory map"

$650 million for addition Digital-to-Analog Converter Box coupons

$218 million for Scientific and Technical Research and Services at NIST

$357 million for NIST "Construction of Research Facilities"

(From the Advancing Science, Serving Society" - The proposed stimulus appropriations combined with a regular

appropriation could leave NIST with a FY 2009 budget of $1.3 billion or higher, well above the $882 million authorized

for FY 2009 in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 and thus on a track to double over a decade.)

$427 million for "Operations, Research, and Facilities" at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

$795 million in NOAA "Procurement, Acquisition and Construction"

$34 million for NOAA "Departmental Management"

$200 million to develop a nationwide wireless network for federal law enforcement

$150 million for the Office of the Federal Detention Trustee - (OFDT) is an organization that achieves efficiencies,

effectiveness and operational synergies within the detention and incarceration community by fostering interagency

cooperation, mutual understanding, accountability and teamwork.

$50 million for Salaries and Expenses at the U.S. Marshal's Service

$125 milion for Department of Justice "Construction"

$75 million for Salaries and Expenses at the FBI

$400 million for FBI "Construction"

$1 billion for buildings and facilities in the Federal Prison System

$300 million for grants to combat violence against women

$1.5 billion for Byrne grants

$440 million in State and Local law enforcement grants

$100 million in State and Local grants for anti-narcotics work

$300 million in law enforcement assistance to Indian tribes

$100 million in grants for the Office for Victims of Crime

$150 million for rural law enforcement

$50 million in aid to combat Internet Crimes Against Children

$1 billion for the COPS program (hiring new police officers)

$500 million for NASA "Science"

$250 million for NASA "Aeronautics"

$500 million for NASA "Exploration"

$250 million for NASA HQ and NASA's nine field centers

$1.2 billion for National Science Foundation "Research and Related Activities"

$150 million for NSF "Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction"

$50 million in NSF "Education and Human Resources"

$1.16 billion for Army Operation and Maintenance

$571 million for Navy Operation and Maintenance

$112 million for Marine Corps Operation and Maintenance

$927 million for Air Force Operation and Maintenance

$79.5 million for Army Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$44.5 million for Navy Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$32.3 million for Marine Corps Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$10.6 million for Air Force Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$215 million for Army National Guard Operation and Maintenance

$20.9 million for Air National Guard Operation and Maintenance

$100 million for "Defense Production Act Purchases"

$200 million for "Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide"

$250 million for "Defense Health Program" for Operation and Maintenance

$2 billion for Army Corps of Engineers water projects

$500 million for Mississippi River and Tributaries projects

$1.9 billion for Army Corps operations and maintenance

$100 million for cleanup at early atomic energy sites

$50 million for Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies

$1.4 billion for water projects for Indian tribes

$50 million for the Central Utah Project Completion Act (102-575)

$50 million for the California Bay-Delta Restoration Act (108-361)

$60 million for rural water projects

$10 million to inspect canals in urban areas

$110 million for water reclamation and re-use projects

$2.1 billion for "Energy Efficiency and Conservation" grants to states

$2.1 billion on energy efficiency in government buildings

$2 billion for grants to advanced battery manufacturers

$4.5 billion for "Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability"

$4.6 billion for "Fossil Energy Research and Development"

$483 million for "Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup"

$390 million for "Uranium Enrichment and Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund"

$430 million for "Science" within the Energy Department

$1 billion for Atomic Energy Defense Activities

$5.5 billion for "Defense Environmental Cleanup"

$250 million for Community Development Financial Institutions in the Treasury Dept

$125 million for a federal payment to the Washington, D.C. Water and Sewer Authority

$9 billion for the "Federal Buildings Fund"

$6 billion of that money is for "High Performance Green Buildings"

$600 million to buy high fuel economy vehicles for the federal government

$84 million for salaries and expenses at the Small Business Administration

$248 million for security in the new headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security

$100 million for new port security inspection systems

$97 million to buy new tactical communications equipment

$200 million for security technology on the Mexican border

$800 million for construction of land border posts

$27.8 million for new radio eqiupment for US Immigration agents

$1.2 billion for Aviation Security

$572 million for Coast Guard construction and navigation facilities

$240 million for "Alteration of Bridges"

$100 million in Transportation security grants

$100 million for port security grants

$250 million for emergency operations centers

$500 million to upgrade critical infrastructure

$500 million for upgrades or new fire stations ($15 mill max)

$100 million for emergency food and shelter programs

$15 million for upgrades to FLETC facilities

$14 million for cyber security research

$135 million for Bureau of Land Management

$180 million for BLM Construction

$15 million for Wildland Fire Management

$190 million for Resource Management at Fish and Wildlife Service

$110 million for FWS Construction

$158 million for operations of the National Park System

$55 million for Historic Preservation in Park System

$589 million for NPS Construction

$135 million for US Geological Survey work

$40 million for Bureau of Indian Affairs programs

$522 million for BIA Construction

$800 million for EPA Superfund

$200 million for Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund

$6.4 billion in Clean Water grants

$650 million for Capital improvements at the Forest Service

$650 million for Wildland Fire Management

$50 million for Indian health services

$85 milion for health information technology in Indian health

$410 million for Indian health facilities

$150 million for facilities at the Smithsonian

$3.25 billion for training and employment services, Dept of Labor

$400 million for state unemployment insurance operations

$160 million for building work, Office of Job Corps

$1 billion for construction, renovation of health centers

$412 million for Centers for Disease Control facilities work

$300 million for "National Center for Research Resources" - FY 2009 budget was 1.16 billion

$2.7 billion to Office of the Director of National Institutes for Health

$500 million for buildings and facilities at NIH, Bethesda, Md.

$700 million for health care research and quality

$2 billion for child care grants to states

$400 million in social services block grants

$1 billion for Children and Families Services Programs

$1.1 billion to expand Early Head Start programs

$100 million in Aging nutrition services

$5 billion for Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology - in 2007, this office received 42

million dollars

$5.8 billion in Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund

of that - $400 million for screening and prevention of STD's, including HIV

$870 million for flu vaccine development and purchase

$13 billion for education grants

$17 billion in "School Improvement Programs"

$13.5 billion for "Special Education"

$13.8 billion for Pell Grants and other student financial assistance

$3.5 billion for Higher Education Facilities

$750 million for replacing the National Computer Center for Social Security

$140 million for Social Security IT to facilitate electronic medical records


$200 million for GAO Salaries and Expenses

$637 million for Army Military Construction

$990 million for Navy and Marine Corps construction - half of that money goes to energy conservation and alternative energy projects

$87 million for Air Force construction projects

$118 million for military energy conservation projects

$150 million for Army NationalGuard readiness centers

$110 million for Air National Guard construction projects

$34 million for construction of Army family housing

$80 million for construction of Air Force family housing

$1.04 billion for VA Medical facilities

$323 million for VA energy efficiency initiatives

$64 million for National Cemetery Administration

$195 million for VA information technology systems

$1.1 billion for VA hospital and national cemetery construction

$860 million for VA health care "minor construction"

$257 million for VA nursing home grants to states

$60 million for Cemeterial Expenses - Army

$75 million for a consolidated diplomatic security training facility

$120 million for a State Department backup information management facility

$5.5 billion in grants for surface transportation infrastructure

$200 million for FAA air traffic infrastructure

$1.1 billion in supplementary airport grants

$27 billion in "Supplemental Grants for Highway Investment"

$250 million in grants for intercity passenger rail service

$850 million in capital projects for passenger rail service

$2 billion for high speed rail corridor program

$8.4 billion in grants for public transit investment

$100 million in grants to "small shipyards"

$510 million in Native American Housing Block Grants

$5 billion in "Public Housing Capital Fund"

$2.25 billion for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes

$2.25 billion in "Home Investment Partnership Program"

$1.5 billion for "Homelessness Prevention Fund"

$3.5 billion in Green retrofit efforts in federally assisted housing

$79 billion in stabilization funds to states for education

What's Wrong with the Stimulus Bill?
The so-called “Stimulus Package” is being sold to taxpayers as an investment in useful infrastructure like roads and bridges. But the facts prove otherwise.

Only 3.6% of the scheme’s $825 billion price tag would actually go to real, practical infrastructure projects--roads and bridges.

Most of the other 96.4% would go to special interest pet projects, and to cramming years’ worth of radical policy changes into the single largest spending and debt scheme in history.

Why are our nation’s leaders doing this? Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel was strikingly honest when he said "Never let a serious crisis go to waste...it's an opportunity to do things you couldn't do before." Exactly what fringe policies are big-government politicians attempting to ram through with this colossal bill?

Under the auspices of a “Federal Health Board,” the package heavily funds the first steps towards the socialization and government-mandated rationing of health care. And this is just one of many government power grabs being shoehorned into the so-called “Stimulus Package.”

In fact, even by the most charitable estimates, the bill would force taxpayers to foot the bill for at least 600,000 new government bureaucrats. That’s six tenths of a million more people on the government payroll -- adding little or no value to our economy and being paid with billions upon billions of your hard-earned tax dollars.

And just what sort of special interest giveaways and wasteful government spending are included in the so-called “Stimulus Package”? To name just a few...

- $4.19 billion in slush funds for ACORN, the left-wing advocacy group best known for allegations of voter fraud during the 2008 presidential campaign
- $600 million to buy brand new cars for government bureaucrats
- $335 million for adult sex workshops (one of the few line items which could conceivably deliver "stimulus" )
- $150 million for honeybee insurance
- $2.8 billion for the US Department of Agriculture in a misdirected program more likely be spent to build unnecessary broadband internet services in urban areas than in the rural areas that lack service.

These are just a few examples of the shameless feeding frenzy taking place in halls of Congress today with this so-called “Stimulus Package.”

This trillion-dollar debt and spending scheme will provide little or no stimulus, but will put each and every American household in at least $6,700 of new debt, to be paid by our children and grandchildren.

Spending Stimulus Can't Work
1. Every dollar the government spends comes from the private sector.

Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman famously said: "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Government spending is either financed through higher taxes, higher federal borrowing, or by printing money. Those are the only possibilities. They all create greater economic damage than any stimulus effect of new spending.

● Tax increases lower the incentive to work, save, and invest. There is a strong association between tax increases and reduced economic growth. In an economic crisis, tax hikes should be unthinkable. The Revenue Act of 1932 was one of the major reasons an economic crisis deepened into the Great Depression.

● Government borrowing also takes money out of the private economy—the money that bond purchasers hand over to the government in exchange for the bonds. That money could otherwise be used for business investment that would expand the economy’s productive capacity. If the funds are borrowed from abroad, our exports are lowered because U.S. dollars are being used to buy bonds instead of goods. Borrowed funds also have to be paid back, placing a burden on future taxpayers. Excessive borrowing also may increase interest rates, deepening the credit crisis.

● Inflation may be most damaging financing mechanism of all. If government spends money that it hasn’t taxed or borrowed, then it is literally creating money out of thin air. More dollars being created means that the dollars in our pockets and bank accounts are worth less than they were before. Inflation is a stealth tax that erodes the value of everything and destroys real economic growth.

2. History shows spending stimulus fails.

America experimented with large-scale expansions of government spending in the 1930s with the New Deal and again in the 1960s and 70s with the Great Society. These dramatic expansions of government spending coincided with economic failure. The long-boom that started under Reagan and continued until now with only a couple of brief, mild recessions coincided with a significant decline in federal spending as a percentage of the economy.

3. Infrastructure projects should be judged on their merits, but not as stimulus.

There is a role for government in providing certain public goods that the market cannot efficiently provide. If financing is available at favorable rates it may make sense to take a long-term view and begin projects that are legitimately justified on their merits. We should be under no misconception, however, that public works spending is stimulative, because borrowed dollars are taken out of the private sector.

http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/200901270569

Well the final version is not out yet.

But our Senators are working hard to include things to benefit WV.

These "clean coal" projects could lead to a tremendous "shot in the arm" for the wv economy.

sodbuster wrote:
But our Senators are working hard to include things to benefit WV.

These "clean coal" projects could lead to a tremendous "shot in the arm" for the wv economy.

And every other Senator is working on projects that will be a tremendous "shot in the arm" for their economy as well. That's why we have a junk $850 billion dollar spending bill that by the time it's all said and done will like exceed a trillion dollars.

Once you add this entire bill to the democratic/Bush bailout bill, we're going be paying almost a half trillion dollars a year on interest alone.

What needs to happen is all spending that does not create direct jobs on infrastructure needs to be taken out, which right now is over 90% of the bill.

The next action that needs to be taken is tax breaks need to be increased. Putting money into the pocket of Americans is the fastest way to stimulate the economy and will result in job creation faster then anything else the government can do.

As this bill stands, all it's doing is taking us further down the path of financial ruin.

sodbuster wrote:http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/200901270569

Well the final version is not out yet.

But our Senators are working hard to include things to benefit WV.

Tell me Sodbuster, why should a taxpayer in California be forced to pay for some government project is West Virginia? What is going to replace whatever jobs that result from the democratic spending bill, when those go away?

sodbuster wrote:These "clean coal" projects could lead to a tremendous "shot in the arm" for the wv economy.

Here's a newsflash for you, Sodbuster, there is no such thing a clean coal. You mine it and that is dirty. You move it and that is dirty. You burn coal, it was always produce flyash, Cabon Dioxide, Sulfur dioxide, Mercury, and variety of other items. Capture them and you still have to dispose of them.

Clean Coal Technology is more government propaganda to spend taxpayer dollars to buyvotes and take care of special interests. While one can cleanup the use of coal to some degree, but reclaimation of the mines, more effiecent methods of moving coal, and scubbers to wash out the acid creating chemicals, the burning coal cannot be made clean.

Now, before some jump my case about this, that isn't to say we won't be burning coal for sometime to come and it isn't to say we need to immediately quit using coal or the world going to end. It is to say that we need to face reality and not bludder off after some pipe dream that is little more than a catch phrase for politicans to take care of special interests.

Well Cato since we are going to be burning coal, shouldnt we do it as clean as possible?

As better ways are found, newer plants are built.

Creating jobs for wvians.

There are better ways now but AEP proposed plants in Meigs, OH and New Haven, WV are not being built, both delayed to government red tape.

sodbuster wrote:Well Cato since we are going to be burning coal, shouldnt we do it as clean as possible?

As better ways are found, newer plants are built.

Creating jobs for wvians.

You don't read very much do you!!!! So again I want to point out to you that there is no such thing as clean coal. All the clean coal hype is, is hype to take care of special interests. It sounds wonderful, morons accept it without ever thinking or doing any real research in the matter, and the politicans get to take care of their special interests.

As far as creating jobs for people in west Virginia goes, instead of pouring tax dollars down the clean coal rat hole, a substanical taxcut, allowing people to keep what they have earned would go far further in creating jobs.

The proposed IGCC power plants in Meigs, OH and New Haven will add jobs, provide much needed energy and will reduce carbon emissions and both are currently being help up by government red tape.

No coal is not clean but it's cheap, abundant and can be cleaned up somewhat and made much more efficient then it currently is.

Thanks Aaron that is what I have been trying to say.

Just because we can't totally eliminate pollution does not mean we should not reduce it.

If we can.

Especially if good jobs are created in the process.

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

But the thing is Sod, AEP is not asking for any stimulus money to pay for these plants. While I'm sure they will take any tax breaks that come with this type of investment, they want to invest their own money from their own profits to pay for their plants. I don't know why they don't want to do that when they could get all this government money but they do.

Maybe it is because the government money always comes with conditions, some of which are onerous.

No coal is not clean but it's cheap, abundant and can be cleaned up somewhat and made much more efficient then it currently is.

Cheap?

Cheap is as cheat does.

And coal mined via MTR ain't cheap for the people who are inundated with MTR spawned floods and whose lives are otherwise debauched by the "that land ain't worth nothin' the way it is" political attitudes and coal company practices. Were all the externalized costs of coal- especially MTR coal- included in the "price" of that coal, it would not be so "cheap".

When people say that coal is cheap it always reminds me that talk is cheap.

Comparatively speaking, coal is the cheapest method of producing energy although I would be interested in comparing the cost per million BTU of coal versus the hot air you put out.

However, by 2006, on a dollars-per-million-Btu basis, natural gas was the most expensive fossil fuel ($6.94), petroleum was second ($6.23), and coal was least expensive ($1.69). Although the cost of generating electricity from coal has increased, it is still lower than the cost of generating electricity from either natural gas or petroleum.

source

And in addition to being much cheaper then other fossil fuels for producing energy, the price is much more stable as the above charts indicates.

Yes, coal is cheap.

Coal is "cheap" only because the lions share of the costs of coal is externalized onto those who are not in the coal market price loop. If the environmental and other social costs of coal were included in the market price, no one would be claiming that it is so "cheap".

That's a nice anecdotal theory Ziggy.

That and $5.85 will buy you a Grande Cappuccino at Starbucks.

* $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero
emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy
defunded
last year because the project was inefficient
* A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to
buy motion picture film
* $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box
coupon program
* $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar
icebreaker (arctic ship)
* $448 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland
Security headquarters
* $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland
Security headquarters
* $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees
* $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD’s
* $1.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs
* $125 million for the Washington, D.C. sewer system
* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities
* $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost
overrun of $3 billion
* $75 million for “smoking cessation activities”
* $200 million for public computer centers at community
colleges
* $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI
* $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse
reduction
* $500 million for flood reduction projects on the
Mississippi River
* $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas
* $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings
* $500 million for state and local fire stations
* $650 million for wildland fire management on Forest Service
lands
* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities
* $1.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer
job programs
* $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public
Health Service
* $412 million for CDC buildings and property
* $500 million for building and repairing NIH facilities in
Bethesda, MD
* $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for
National and Community Service
* $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the VA
“National Cemetery Administration”
* $850 million for Amtrak
* $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint
* $75M to construct a new “security training” facility for
State Dept Security officers when they can be trained at
existing facilities
of other agencies.
* $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer
systems

http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=3d97fd6d-802a-23ad-4656-8435b17a3a0d&Issue_id=

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjcyODIyZGM2MGU1ZDdkNDgxZDc3OTNjYjM4ZDY1ODI=

$150 million for the Smithsonian
$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters
$500 million for improvement projects for National Institutes of Health facilities
$44 million for repairs to Department of Agriculture headquarters
$350 million for Agriculture Department computers
$88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building
$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters
$600 million to convert the federal auto fleet to hybrids
$450 million for NASA (carve-out for “climate-research missions”)
$600 million for NOAA (carve-out for “climate modeling”)
$1 billion for the Census Bureau

Where is the stimulus in any of this?

No one from the right can defend any of this.

Well OC you can always come up with attention grabbing, catchy, examples.

But add all those up and what % of the stimulus does it represent?

sherman, can you deny that less than 25% of the stimulus comes in this fiscal year? Can you deny that less than 50% of the stimulus comes before the end of the next fiscal year? Given the miniscule nature of the stimuli and the delayed effect, what's Obama's rush to get it passed? Afraid somebody is going to see what's in it?

sodbuster wrote:Well OC you can always come up with attention grabbing, catchy, examples.

But add all those up and what % of the stimulus does it represent?

Percentage doesn't excuse the uncontitutional, ignorant, and unnecessary spending in this bill.

Considering that infrastructure spending accounts for about 4% of the bill and about a third is tax cuts, that leaves about 60%, give or take a few as waste like OC cited above.

So why not take out all the waste and come up with a decent bill that mixes tax cuts with infrastructure spending and cut the pork that's not putting anyone to work or stimulating anything.

I dont have no problem with that.

I am just saying looking at the figures yall are gagging on a gnat.

But it looks like some of the more moderate Senators will work it out.

Just depends how long the House wants to grandstand.

But far as infrastructure I figure we could use it all on infrastructure and lots of people will be left without water.

Or hi-speed internet.

Or getting their road fixed.