Pg. 137: $2,500,000 For Voter Education About Puerto Rico's Future Political StatusAnd Potential Statehood. “$2,500,000 is for objective, nonpartisan voter education about, and a plebiscite on, options that would resolve Puerto Rico’s future political status, which shall be provided to the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico.” The funding will educate voters on a future vote to become a state. Puerto Rico already held such a vote in 2012.
Pg. 159: Up To $80,000,000 To Study Jupiter’s Europa Moon In The Year 2020. “Provided further, that $80,000,000 shall be for pre-formulation and/or formulation activities for a mission that meets the science goals outlined for the Jupiter Europa mission in the most recent planetary science decadal survey.” The Europa mission isn’t even planned
until 2020.
Pg. 365: $4,000,000 For Aquatic Plant Control. Under funding for the Army Corps of Engineers’ investigations, $4 million of the $125 million given to the Corps is
earmarked for the “Aquatic Plant Control Program.”
Pg. 479: Up to $90,000 For The Vice President's Entertainment Expenses. “For the care, operation, refurnishing, improvement, and to the extent not otherwise provided for, heating and lighting, including electric power and fixtures, of the official residence of the Vice President; the hire of passenger motor vehicles; and not to exceed $90,000 for official entertainment expenses of the Vice President, to be accounted for solely on his certificate.”
Pg. 541: Blocks Reforms That Would Help Save The Postal Service. The bill requires the Postal Service to continue 6-day postal delivery even though the Postal Service has
repeatedly asked to reduce delivery days in order to save itself from bankruptcy. The Post Office was
$5 billion in debt last year. Maybe this is why they keep
raising the price of stamps?
Pg. 720: $3,660,000 For Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation. The bill includes $3.6 million to fund “Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.”
Pg. 790: $35,000,000 For The Removal Of Fish Passage Barriers: From funding for the Forest Services’ improvement and maintenance account, “$35,000,000 shall be designated for urgently needed road decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance and associated activities, and removal of fish passage barriers.”
Pg. 799: Funding For The Adoption Of Wild Horses And Burros. “Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for expenditure or transfer to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, for removal, preparation, and adoption of excess wild horses and burros from National Forest System lands, and for the performance of cadastral surveys to designate the boundaries of such lands.”
Pg. 821: $146,021,000 For The National Endowment For The Arts. “For necessary expenses to carry out the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, $146,021,000 shall be available to the National Endowment for the Arts for the support of projects and productions in the arts, including arts education and public outreach activities, through assistance to organizations and individuals pursuant to section 5 of the Act, for program support, and for administering the functions of the Act, to remain available until expended.”
- This Represents A $7,637,782 Increase Over the $138 million appropriated in 2013. 2013 Appropriation Less Enacted Rescission And Sequestration:. (“National Endowment For The Arts Appropriations History,” NEA, Accessed 1/14/14)
Pg. 906: $124,296,000 For The National Center For Complementary And Alternative Medicine. “For carrying out section 301 and title IV of the PHS Act with respect to complementary and alternative medicine, $124,296,000.”
- Chicago Tribune: “Feds Dole Out Millions Of Dollars For Questionable Studies On Treatments Ranging From Energy Healing To Acupuncture.” (Trine Tsouderos, “Federal Center Pays Good Money For Suspect Medicine,” Chicago Tribune, 12/11/11)
- Past Research Funded By The National Center For Complementary And Alternative Medicine Includes Studies On Whether Distant Prayer Could Heal AIDS And Whether Massage Made Advanced Cancer Patients Feel Better. “Thanks to a $374,000 taxpayer-funded grant, we now know that inhaling lemon and lavender scents doesn't do a lot for our ability to heal a wound. With $666,000 in federal research money, scientists examined whether distant prayer could heal AIDS. It could not. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine also helped pay scientists to study whether squirting brewed coffee into someone's intestines can help treat pancreatic cancer (a $406,000 grant) and whether massage makes people with advanced cancer feel better ($1.25 million). The coffee enemas did not help. The massage did.” (Trine Tsouderos, “Federal Center Pays Good Money For Suspect Medicine,” Chicago Tribune, 12/11/11)
Pg. 1150: $16,700,000 For East-West Center, A Cultural Exchange Center In Hawaii. “To enable the Secretary of State to provide for carrying out the provisions of the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West Act of 1960, by grant to the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West in the State of Hawaii, $16,700,000.”
Pg. 1410: $600,000,000 For TIGER Grants For Transportation Infrastructure Projects. “For capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure, $600,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2016. Projects eligible for funding provided under this heading shall include, but not be limited to, highway or bridge projects; public transportation projects; passenger and freight rail transportation projects; and port infrastructure investments.”
- This Represents A $100,000,000 Increase Over 2013. “Democrats won a $100 million increase, to $600 million, for so-called TIGER grants for high-priority transportation infrastructure projects, a program that started with the 2009 stimulus bill.” (Andrew Taylor, “Dozens Of Trade-offs In $1.1T Budget Bill,” The Associated Press, 1/14/14)
Pg. 1415: $149,000,000 to Air Carries to Pay for Flights Without Enough Passengers: The bill gives $149 million—an increase of $3 million above last year—to pay commercial airline carriers to make flights into areas with
little demand for regular flights. The “Essential Air Service” program can also take an additional $100 million form other FAA fees.
Pg. 1452: Up To $40,000,000 To Subsidize Amtrak If Its Appropriated Funds Fail To Cover Operating Costs. “That of the amounts made available under this heading, up to $40,000,000 may be used by the Secretary to subsidize operating losses of the Corporation should the funds provided under the heading ‘Operating Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation’ be insufficient to meet operational costs for fiscal year 2014.”
1458: $150,000,000 For The Washington D.C. Subway System. The bill provides $150 million to the Washington Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for improvements to the city’s subway system. The federal funding for the train system amounts to one-tenth of the systems total operating cost, including the city-wide bus system. Do you think it’s a strange coincidence that the government doesn’t foot the bill for other city’s transit?
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