Veronique de Rugy lists some of the more egregious pork contained the stimulus bill passed last night by Congress:
* $24 million for United States Department of Agriculture buildings and rent
* $176 million for renovating Agricultural Research Service buildings
* $290 million for flood prevention
* $50 million for watershed rehabilitation
* $1.4 billion for wastewater disposal programs
* $295 million for administrative expenses associated with food stamp programs
* $1 billion for the 2010 Census
* $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges and libraries
* $650 million for the digital TV converter box coupon program
* $2 billion for Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program
* $10 million to combat Mexican gunrunners
* $125 million for rural communities to combat drug crimes
* $1 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services program
* $1 billion for NASA
* $300 million to purchase scientific instruments for colleges and museums
* $400 million for equipment and facilities at the National Science Foundation
* $3.7 billion to conduct “green” renovations on military bases
* $375 million for Mississippi River projects
* $10 million for urban canals
* $5 billion for weatherizing buildings
* $2 billion to develop advanced batteries for hybrid cars
* $3.4 billion for fossil energy research
* $5.1 billion for environmental cleanup around military bases
* $5.5 billion for “green” federal buildings
* $300 million for “green” cars for federal employees
* $20 million for IT upgrades at the Small Business Administration
* $200 million to design and furnish Department of Homeland Security headquarters
* $98 million earmarked for a polar icebreaker
* $210 million for State and local fire stations
* $125 million to restore trails and abandoned mines
* $146 million for trail maintenance at National Park Service sites
* $140 million for volcano monitoring systems
* $600 million for the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund environmental cleanup program
* $200 million to clean up leaking underground storage tanks
* $500 million for forest health and wildfire prevention
* $25 million for the Smithsonian Institution
* $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
* $1.2 billion for “youth activities” (for “youth” up to 24 years old)
* $500 million earmarked for National Institute of Health facilities
* $1 billion for Head Start Program
* $32 million for home-delivered nutrition services
* $160 million for volunteer programs at the Corporation for National and Community Service
* $500 million earmarked for the SSA National Computer Center in Maryland
* $220 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. and Mexico
* $8 billion for high-speed railways (This amount is 4 times higher than the one voted on Tuesday in the Senate bill)
* $1.3 billion for AmtrakOn the tax side of the package, the tax credit for golf carts was retained, along with $300 million for Federal Employee Company Cars. And despite the role that home buying played in putting the economy into recession, the conference report also includes tax credits—up to $15,000—for buying new homes.
The only good news — that $ 246 million tax credit for Hollywood a/k/a The Brad Pitt Relief Act of 2009, which I wrote about earlier this month, was taken out of the final conference report.
So, do you feel stimulated yet.
