Cutbacks in the Fiscal Boost Program
The stimulus package is too small--and it looks like almost all of the cuts are from reasonable uses of government funds that are substantially labor intensive and thus are the right kind of thing to be in the stimulus package. It looks like the cuts are:
- $40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants)
- $16 billion for school construction
- $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity
- $4.5 billion for GSA
- $3.5 billion for higher education construction
- $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)
- $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization
- $2 billion for HIT Grants
- $2 billion for broadband
- $1.25 billion for project based rental
- $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing
- $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees
- $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start
- $600 million for Title I (NCLB)
- $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)
- $300 million for federal prisons
- $300 million for BYRNE Formula
- $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)
- $200 million for National Science Foundation
- $200 million TSA
- $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement
- $140 million for BYRNE Competitive
- $122 million for new Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters
- $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization
- $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)
- $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)
- $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)
- $100 million for distance learning
- $100 million for NIST
- $100 million for science
- $98 million for school nutrition
- $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management
- $89 million GSA operations
- $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)
- $65 million for watershed rehabilitation
- $55 million for historic preservation
- $55 million for historic preservation
- $50 million for aquaculture
- $50 million for CSERES research
- $50 million for detention trustee
- $50 million for NASA
- $50 million for aeronautics
- $50 million for exploration
- $50 million for Cross Agency Support
- $50 million from DHS
- $30 million for SD salaries
- $25 million for Marshalls Construction
- $25 million for Fish and Wildlife
- $20 million for working capital fund
- $10 million state and local law enforcement
What were Ben Nelson and Susan Collins thinking? It is a mystery.
