The Stimulus Bills: House vs. Senate
by Michael Grabell, ProPublica - February 10, 2009 9:00 am EST
If all goes as expected today, the Senate will pass an $838 billion economic stimulus plan that follows a compromise reached over the weekend. But before the package can go to President Obamaâs desk, the Senate will have to resolve differences with the House and its $819 billion version. Most predict a bruising battle that wonât wrap up until weekâs end, in part because of fiery differences over tax cuts and spending on food stamps and education, a critical issue for Democrats who control the House.
So how do the two versions stack up? Weâve put together this chart so you can easily spot the differences.
Some highlights: The House version would spend $60 billion more on education. The Senate version adds more than $100 billion for tax cuts to individuals and families. The House would spend more to upgrade the countryâs electricity grid. The Senate would spend more on medical research. And there are plenty more.
This chart and other stories are part of Eye on the Stimulus, our blog dedicated to tracking the stimulus from bill to building.
| Program | House | Senate | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aid to Low-Income Families Total | $124,186,000,000 | $97,230,900,000 | â¼$26,955,100,000 |
| Health insurance aid | $2,272,000,000 | â²$2,272,000,000 | |
| Unemployment benefits | $36,000,000,000 | $39,490,000,000 | â²$3,490,000,000 |
| COBRA healthcare for unemployed | $30,300,000,000 | $20,000,000,000 | â¼$10,300,000,000 |
| Hunger programs | $21,176,000,000 | $17,100,000,000 | â¼$4,076,000,000 |
| Housing | $13,510,000,000 | $8,600,000,000 | â¼$4,910,000,000 |
| Medicaid for unemployed | $8,600,000,000 | â¼$8,600,000,000 | |
| Job training and placement | $5,120,000,000 | $4,300,000,000 | â¼$820,000,000 |
| Disabled and elderly programs | $4,200,000,000 | â¼$4,200,000,000 | |
| Other | $5,280,000,000 | $5,468,900,000 | â²$188,900,000 |
| Aid to States Total | $172,500,000,000 | $134,840,000,000 | â¼$37,660,000,000 |
| Medicaid | $87,000,000,000 | $86,700,000,000 | â¼$300,000,000 |
| State fiscal relief | $79,000,000,000 | $39,000,000,000 | â¼$40,000,000,000 |
| State and local law enforcement | $4,000,000,000 | $3,500,000,000 | â¼$500,000,000 |
| Other | $2,500,000,000 | $5,640,000,000 | â²$3,140,000,000 |
| Business Total | $880,000,000 | $730,000,000 | â¼$150,000,000 |
| Small businesses | $880,000,000 | $730,000,000 | â¼$150,000,000 |
| Education Total | $68,456,000,000 | $42,850,000,000 | â¼$25,606,000,000 |
| K-12 education | $26,616,000,000 | $25,400,000,000 | â¼$1,216,000,000 |
| School construction and technology | $21,000,000,000 | â¼$21,000,000,000 | |
| Higher education | $16,140,000,000 | $13,900,000,000 | â¼$2,240,000,000 |
| Early childhood programs | $4,700,000,000 | $3,550,000,000 | â¼$1,150,000,000 |
| Energy Total | $53,650,000,000 | $38,963,000,000 | â¼$14,687,000,000 |
| Fossil energy research | $4,600,000,000 | â²$4,600,000,000 | |
| Energy efficiency projects | $11,400,000,000 | $5,800,000,000 | â¼$5,600,000,000 |
| Electricity grid | $11,000,000,000 | $4,500,000,000 | â¼$6,500,000,000 |
| Federal building/Defense facility efficiency | $8,500,000,000 | $6,313,000,000 | â¼$2,187,000,000 |
| Renewable energy loans | $8,000,000,000 | $8,500,000,000 | â²$500,000,000 |
| Weatherization | $6,200,000,000 | $2,900,000,000 | â¼$3,300,000,000 |
| Renewable energy research | $2,350,000,000 | $2,600,000,000 | â²$250,000,000 |
| Advanced batteries | $2,000,000,000 | $2,000,000,000 | |
| Other | $4,200,000,000 | $1,750,000,000 | â¼$2,450,000,000 |
| Health Care Total | $26,750,000,000 | $19,191,000,000 | â¼$7,559,000,000 |
| Health information technology | $20,000,000,000 | $19,191,000,000 | â¼$809,000,000 |
| Other | $6,750,000,000 | â¼$6,750,000,000 | |
| Other Total | $1,898,000,000 | $1,760,000,000 | â¼$138,000,000 |
| Accountability | $248,000,000 | $110,000,000 | â¼$138,000,000 |
| Census | $1,000,000,000 | $1,000,000,000 | |
| DTV conversion coupons | $650,000,000 | $650,000,000 | |
| Science and Technology Total | $17,771,000,000 | $22,405,000,000 | â²$4,634,000,000 |
| Broadband | $6,000,000,000 | $7,000,000,000 | â²$1,000,000,000 |
| National Science Foundation | $3,000,000,000 | $1,200,000,000 | â¼$1,800,000,000 |
| National Institutes of Health | $2,000,000,000 | â¼$2,000,000,000 | |
| Department of Energy | $2,000,000,000 | â¼$2,000,000,000 | |
| University research facilities | $1,500,000,000 | â¼$1,500,000,000 | |
| Biomedical research | $900,000,000 | $10,000,000,000 | â²$9,100,000,000 |
| NASA | $600,000,000 | $1,300,000,000 | â²$700,000,000 |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | $600,000,000 | $1,000,000,000 | â²$400,000,000 |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | $462,000,000 | â¼$462,000,000 | |
| Other including National Institutes of Health | $1,100,000,000 | â²$1,100,000,000 | |
| Other | $709,000,000 | $805,000,000 | â²$96,000,000 |
| Tax Cuts Total | $282,284,000,000 | $358,162,000,000 | â²$75,878,000,000 |
| Manufacturing | $1,603,000,000 | â²$1,603,000,000 | |
| Individuals | $184,637,000,000 | $302,198,000,000 | â²$117,561,000,000 |
| State and local governments | $42,957,000,000 | $14,272,000,000 | â¼$28,685,000,000 |
| Businesses | $29,483,000,000 | $17,546,000,000 | â¼$11,937,000,000 |
| Energy projects | $19,961,000,000 | $17,682,000,000 | â¼$2,279,000,000 |
| Other | $5,246,000,000 | $4,861,000,000 | â¼$385,000,000 |
| Transportation and Infrastructure Total | $80,604,000,000 | $85,090,000,000 | â²$4,486,000,000 |
| Competitive grants | $5,500,000,000 | â²$5,500,000,000 | |
| Homeland security | $4,700,000,000 | â²$4,700,000,000 | |
| Federal buildings | $1,400,000,000 | â²$1,400,000,000 | |
| Bureau of Reclamation | $1,400,000,000 | â²$1,400,000,000 | |
| Water and waste disposal | $1,400,000,000 | â²$1,400,000,000 | |
| Nuclear weapons program maintenance | $1,000,000,000 | â²$1,000,000,000 | |
| Highways and bridges | $30,000,000,000 | $27,000,000,000 | â¼$3,000,000,000 |
| Transit | $12,000,000,000 | $8,400,000,000 | â¼$3,600,000,000 |
| Clean water | $9,500,000,000 | $6,000,000,000 | â¼$3,500,000,000 |
| Defense Department facilities | $8,265,000,000 | $2,400,000,000 | â¼$5,865,000,000 |
| Corps of Engineers | $4,500,000,000 | $4,600,000,000 | â²$100,000,000 |
| Water resources | $1,124,000,000 | â¼$1,124,000,000 | |
| Public land and parks | $3,100,000,000 | $3,400,000,000 | â²$300,000,000 |
| Aviation | $3,000,000,000 | $1,300,000,000 | â¼$1,700,000,000 |
| Environmental cleanup | $2,300,000,000 | $7,600,000,000 | â²$5,300,000,000 |
| Border stations | $1,250,000,000 | $1,200,000,000 | â¼$50,000,000 |
| Railroads | $1,100,000,000 | $3,100,000,000 | â²$2,000,000,000 |
| Veterans hospitals and cemeteries | $1,000,000,000 | $3,700,000,000 | â²$2,700,000,000 |
| Federal government technology | $965,000,000 | â¼$965,000,000 | |
| Wildfire mitigation | $850,000,000 | â¼$850,000,000 | |
| Other | $1,650,000,000 | $990,000,000 | â¼$660,000,000 |
*Some provisions that arenât listed in one bill may be part of another category.
Source: House Appropriations and Ways and Means committees, Senate Appropriations and Finance committees
Michael Grabell and Krista Kjellman/ProPublica
