Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated that the newly “trimmed” stimulus package will go to a vote in the Senate on Monday. The bill now costs approximately $827 billion.
You would have thought that the Senate had found the cure for cancer, as they congratulated each other for finally agreeing on something. They managed to cut nearly $100 billion in spending – a welcome step forward but it’s still a massive bill.
Not all of the Senators were pleased with the deal. Senator John Boehner (R-OH) commented, “Ultimately this bill should be judged on whether it works, and 90 percent of a bad idea is still a bad idea.”
What’s Boehner upset about? Spending. Here’s a brief look at some of the items cut or reduced in the bill:
- $2 billion cut for energy-efficient federal buildings
- $327 million cut for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- $300 million cut for federal fleet of hybrid vehicles
- $300 million cut for FBI construction
- $200 million cut for Superfund
- $100 million cut for Law enforcement wireless
- $75 million cut for Smithsonian
- All funds cut for historic preservation
- All funds cut for new Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters
- All funds cut for pandemic flu prevention
Cuts were also made in educational assistance and new school construction.
The self-congratulatory smugness was nearly too much to take. When did Congress suddenly decide that we should watch our spending? It’s like watching a college student who maxed her credit cards out at Ann Taylor suddenly start caring about how much the cable bill costs. Yes, I’m glad that Congress is finally starting to *get* that we don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend, but the attitude exhibited by folks like Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) who have talked themselves up by deciding that cutting spending is some how a remarkable feat is offputting.
Note to Congress: As taxpayers, we *get* it already. What has taken you so long?
So with all of the grandstanding and pruning, what stays? That, they didn’t talk about so much. It’s all in broad terms: “job creation”, tax incentives for small businesses, a once again pathetic one year band aid on the AMT (alternative minimum tax) and some variation on so-called “tax relief” for low income and middle income families. We’ll know the details on Monday and you can find it right here at taxgirl.
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