Earmark Creep in the Stimulus Package

Earmark Creep in the Stimulus Bills

by Michael Grabell and Christopher Weaver, ProPublica - February 4, 2009 11:00 pm EST

U.S. government Some items working their way into the economic stimulus package bear a suspicious likeness to "earmarks" -- the budgeting tactic that critics have scorned as wasteful and that President Obama said he wants to avoid. Earmarks typically target spending at a particular city or region, industry or contractor, often on the basis of political clout. As part of ShovelWatch, a joint project with WNYC in New York, we've started tracking items that could arguably be called earmarks in the chart below. If you have ideas about spending that could be added, e-mail your suggestions to us.

Here are links to the emerging Senate and House stimulus bills, which we will update regularly:

House bill	Senate bill	Project/Recipient	Purpose	Why it's like an earmark
$0	$198,000,000	Filipino World War II veterans	Provides compensation for Filipino veterans who were enlisted to fight in World War II.	The items were added to the Senate bill at the request of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), one of three World War II veterans in the Senate and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Estimate unavailable	Estimate unavailable	Insurance exemption for yacht workers	Exempts businesses working on recreational boats longer than 65 feet from the requirement to hold federal longshoremen's insurance in addition to state worker's compensation insurance.	Amendment from Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat, benefits boat and yacht builders.
$150,000,000	$150,000,000	Smithsonian Institution	For repairs and renovations to the Smithsonian Institution's facilities in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian gets about $500 million a year in taxpayer support; usually less than 20 percent of that support goes to capital improvements.	Mainly benefits Washington, D.C.
Estimate unavailable	Estimate unavailable	Department of Homeland Security	Requires that the Department of Homeland Security purchases uniforms for 100,000 employees from U.S. textile and apparel manufacturers.	Amendment from Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., who worked for 27 years in the textile industry before being elected to Congress.
$3,000,000,000	$0	Transit bonus money	Adds an extra $3 billion for transit projects, bringing total transit funding in the House bill to $12 billion.	Source is an amendment by Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. and Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., who said it would bring a "significant increase" in money to his state. Said a Nadler spokesman, "Our view is that New York State can't lose if we increase transportation funding."
$500,000,000	$0	Biofuels bonus money	An amendment that boosts biofuel spending by $500 million, pushing total biomass spending in the House bill to at least $800 million.	Source is an amendment by Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, home of more than 40 ethanol and biodiesel refineries.
$420,000,000	$870,000,000	Pandemic flu preparedness	Develop cell-based vaccine manufacture within the U.S. to replace foreign-made, chicken egg-based vaccines in order to build up production capacity to combat potential pandemics, and to stockpile antiviral drugs. This is the final installment in a Health and Human Services program that was allocated up to $7.1 billion to implement this project.	Benefits 5 companies with research contracts, and Novartis, which holds a contract to open and operate the first cell-based manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, N.C.
$500,000,000	$1,200,000,000	Transportation Security Administration	To buy explosive-detection machines and advanced checkpoint screening technologies.	Potential benefit for five companies that already hold TSA contracts: Rapiscan, GE, L-3, Reveal and Smiths Detection.
$0	$10,000,000	Project Gunrunner	An ongoing operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to stop firearms and drug trafficking across the Mexican border would receive this amount from a $100 million pot for law enforcement on the border. The rest of the money will be awarded in competitive grants to other law enforcement agencies.	Specially designated funding for a program run out of El Paso, Texas.
$0	$125,000,000	District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority	Renovations to the Washington, D.C., sewer system to prevent sewage overflows from the Blue Plains treatment plant.	Targeted to local interest.
$0	$1,000,000,000	Department of Energy	Funding for atomic energy defense activities at the National Nuclear Security Administration.	Specifies purpose: "Weapons activities."
$224,000,000	$224,000,000	International Boundary and Water Commission of Rio Grande	"For repair and upgrading Rio Grande levees on the U.S. side. The levees no longer comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency standards for certification because there's a risk that they could be overtopped in a "100-year storm."	Local benefits: The project will employ 240 people and residents of the 506 protected miles can expect to see lower flood insurance rates.
$150,000,000	$240,000,000	Obstructive Bridge Repair	To rebuild 12 bridges that the U.S. Coast Guard says block waterways. The Coast Guard ordered the bridge owners to replace or alter the bridges, who must do so with Coast Guard oversight. Congress says the project will facilitate more "cost-effective" shipping for manufactures and the producers of raw materials.	Benefits bridge owners, who will be reimbursed a pre-determined share of the construction costs by the government, after reconstruction is complete. Money is for eight states: Ala., Ill., Iowa, La., Mo., Wis., Tenn., Texas
$0	$50,000,000	Central Utah Completion Act Project	For the operation of the project, a water management program that collects municipal industrial water and agricultural water, and conserves and distributes clean water.	Targets specific local recipient.
$0	$50,000,000	California Bay-Delta Restoration Act	For water quality, habitat restoration and levee projects in California's San Francisco Bay Area and its watershed, which stretches into the Sierra Nevada mountains.	Targets specific local recipient.
$6,000,000,000	$3,500,000,000	Higher education renovation and repairs	Directs state higher education agencies to give priority to institutions "affected by a Gulf hurricane disaster."	Benefits aimed at Gulf states, including New Orleans and Galveston, Texas.
$0	$2,000,000	Plumbers and pipefitters training	To train Native Americans for careers as plumbers and pipefitters.	Benefits specific program and industry.
$88,000,000	$88,000,000	Public Health Service	Helps agencies in the Public Health Service building move when their lease expires in July 2010.	A boost for Rockville, M.D., home of the HQ.
$245,000,000	$171,000,000	Agriculture Department	Farm Service Agency	Specifies use for salaries and expenses.
$3,250,000,000	$3,250,000,000	Bonneville Power Administration	Increases borrowing authority for the government-run energy marketer, based in Portland, Ore., which distributes power from federal hydroelectric dams and other sources.	Targeted at powerful regional entity.
$3,250,000,000	$3,260,000,000	Western Area Power Administration	Increases borrowing authority for the government-run Lakewood, Colo. and Salt Lake City, Utah,-based energy marketer that distributes power in Western states.	Targeted at powerful regional entity. An additional $10 million is to be awarded for general operating expenses.