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What got cut from the stimulus bill?

The Senate bill is now inferior to the House's in terms of stimulative effect.

  • Out: Education and State aid: The compromise Senate bill "cuts all $16 billion from the original bill for K-12 school construction, [and] trims more than $1 billion from Head Start programs for youngsters." Of the $83 billion cut by the Nelson-Collins gang, $40 billion of it was for state stabilization funding. This is incredibly important funding meant for "helping states and localities avoid wide-scale cuts in services and layoffs of public employees."
  • In: Ineffective tax breaks: One example --- Republicans added the "house flipping subsidy", a $15,000 home-buyers credit, Dean Baker of the Center for Economic Policy Research calls this the “flip your house to your brother” provision: it will cost a lot of money while doing nothing to help the economy.

Want to learn about what's in the stimulus package in the first place? Try Recovery and Reinvestment 101 and the 'A Guide to How the Stimulus Works' video.

Interestingly, the most criticized provisions of Obama's stimulus package comprise a very small portion (less than 2%) of the total economic recovery legislation. Read about this in 'Republicans Mount Mini-Criticisms of Stimulus in the Media'.

Here are some programs that have been cut, either entirely or partially in the latest Senate version:

Partially cut:

  • $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)
  • $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)
  • $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)
  • $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)
  • $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)
  • $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)
  • $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)

Fully eliminated

  • $55 million for historic preservation
  • $122 million for Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters
  • $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization
  • $50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service
  • $65 million for watershed rehabilitation
  • $100 million for distance learning
  • $98 million for school nutrition
  • $50 million for aquaculture
  • $2 billion for broadband
  • $100 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • $50 million for detention trustee
  • $25 million for Marshalls Construction
  • $300 million for federal prisons
  • $300 million for BYRNE Formula grant program
  • $140 million for BYRNE Competitive grant program
  • $10 million state and local law enforcement
  • $50 million for NASA
  • $50 million for aeronautics
  • $50 million for exploration
  • $50 million for Cross Agency Support
  • $200 million for National Science Foundation
  • $100 million for science
  • $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees
  • $4.5 billion for General Services Administration
  • $89 million General Services Administration operations
  • $50 million from Department of Homeland Security
  • $200 million Transportation Security Administration
  • $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use
  • $25 million for Fish and Wildlife
  • $20 million for working capital fund
  • $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement
  • $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management
  • $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start
  • $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity
  • $2 billion for Health Information Technology Grants
  • $600 million for Title I (No Child Left Behind)
  • $16 billion for school construction
  • $3.5 billion for higher education construction
  • $1.25 billion for project based rental
  • $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization
Issues: 

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