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.).
Source:
Taxpayers footing bill for these questionable provisions in $1.5T spending law
5 comments on 9 Provisions in $1.5T Spending Bill That’ll Make Taxpayers Insane
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This bill was snuck through at 2am without any Repub. Knowledge. Sorry ass Dims!
I’m hoping every member involved in sneaking this bill in in the middle of the night will be looking for a new job come November. This kind of shadiness is why people don’t trust this administration. What really gets me is I sent these articles to my local news station and they still won’t cover it. Must be democrats.
Earmarks should be eliminated. Why should I pay for things that benefit mostly other States.. That should be paid for by the home state. There are other sources than taxpayer’s money..
What happened to ‘the consent of the governed’?
Why is the country having to pay what is obviously a state only benefit? If the state actually wants to waste their own money than they can go for it.