(CNN) -- On Monday, Congressional Republican leaders put out a list of what they call wasteful provisions in the Senate version of the nearly $900 billion stimulus bill that is being debated:
The Senate is currently debating the nearly $900 billion economic stimulus bill.
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington 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.
• $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 National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
CNN's Dana Bash contributed to this report. From http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/ ... index.html
To me looking at this and walking away thinking Democrats bad and Republicans good is waaaay to simple and misses to many substantive issues.
WHY is there so much pork in this bill? (Note: the last one was pretty bad too. I didn't realize it until after it passed and I read about it. Made me angry.)
This bill is spending monies I'm not sure we even have. It is according to the way it has been marketed to the public an effort to help save the economy. By giving Amtrack $850 million??? By building a new Homeland security building? And millions to furnish it?
Tons of people are out of work. States are looking at running out of money to fund unemployment. And the answer is $150 million bucks for upgrades to the Smithsonian? $650 million for the coupon program for changing the TV station to HD?
I can see the history books of the future.... Times of great economic hardship at the turn of the century were solved when Congress saved the nation by issuing coupons allowing the people of the land to tune into high definition television broadcasts and granting movie producers monies to purchase film.
Edited to fix URL
Seriously?? These people seem to be out of touch here. I would seem this is so out there public protests would be pretty loud. Am I just missing it?
(Can anyone find the full text of this bill?)