January 1, 9 Provisions in $1.5T Spending Bill That’ll Make Taxpayers Insane

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1905: Albert Einstein finishes his scientific paper detailing his Quantum Theory of Light, one of the foundations of modern physics.

President Joe Biden’s signature made the massive $1.5T omnibus spending bill official, providing funding to the federal government through September, roughly $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine, $782 billion for the military, and $4 billion to help displaced refugees. But lawmakers managed to tuck away some questionable provisions as the House and Senate scrambled to pass the bill.

The staggering 2,471-page legislation includes more than 4,000 earmarks, or pet spending items included in the fine print used to fund projects or special interests in Congressmembers’ communities. Roughly $9.7 billion of the $1.5 trillion package went to such earmarks.

Here are some of the more egregious examples:

• $1.5 million for “tree restoration” in Ohio, requested by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
• $496,000 for improvements to a YMCA swimming pool New York, which Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) called “essential for minimizing disparities in access to swimming lessons and aerobics, promoting health equity.”
• $160,000 to study the “sustainability” of astronaut food at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, requested by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).
• $110,000 for a food truck and refrigerated van to serve the Spanish American Center in Massachusetts, requested by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA).
• $1.6 million for the “development of equitable growth of shellfish aquaculture in Rhode Island,” requested by Democratic Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.).
• $2 million for a pilot program to try an electric-vehicle-based ferry system in Alaska, requested by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
• $3 million for a Gandhi museum in Houston, requested by Rep. Al Green (D-TX).
• $600,000 for the YMCA of Southern Arizona, requested by Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ).
• $1 million for the “Multicultural Innovation Center” at the Rhode Island Black Business Association, requested by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.).

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Taxpayers footing bill for these questionable provisions in $1.5T spending law