What is in the Omnibus Bill passed in congress on March 11, 2021? Well, we have a high-level breakdown of the numbers. You will be perplexed by the money that is put into the bill known as PORK BARREL SPENDING or PET PROJECTS to get this to pass. The bill is over 2,700-pages long and, as with other bills of this length, is almost certainly stuffed with pork. This was a $1.5 Trillion spending bill. Generally speaking, earmarks are funding or projects in their districts that get inserted into legislation at the request of a senator or representative in an effort to earn that member’s vote.
They were able to pass the omnibus bill with bipartisan support. It was split into two packages — a defense portion that passed by a 361-69 vote, and a non-defense portion that passed by 260-171 vote.
Reminder: This is the bill that will fund the entire federal government for the next year. For starters, it sets aside $730 billion for domestic programs (a 6.7% increase, the most in four years) and $782 billion for the military (a 5.6% increase).
This is from the ReadTangle.com website.
Now, the details (sources below):
-$13.6 billion of aid to Ukraine, including military, humanitarian and economic aid.
-2.7% pay increase for all 2.1 million uniformed military members.
–Funding for 13 new Navy vessels, a dozen F/A-18 Super Hornets and 85 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
-$5 million to the survivors of a drone strike in Afghanistan that killed 10 civilians.
-$2 billion of border wall funding (no new money allocated).
-$1.6 billion dedicated to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific.
-$12.5 million for firearm injury and prevention research.
–An additional $1.45 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to handle migrant crossings on the Southern border. The money will go to overtime costs for staff, medical care for migrants, and funding for nonprofits that shelter migrants.
–In an effort to prepare for another pandemic, $845 million for the Strategic National Stockpile (an increase of $140 million) and $745 million for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (an increase of $148 million).
-$675 million increase in the IRS budget, the largest in two decades.
-$550 million invested into the rural broadband loan program.
-An increase in House lawmakers’ budgets of 21%, to $774.4 million, the largest increase since 1996. This will be used to give congressional staff, long described as underpaid and overworked, a raise. It also provides $18.2 million in funding for interns.
$602.5 million for the U.S. Capitol Police, an increase of $87 million, to help hire more officers and civilian staff, as a response to Jan. 6.
-$17.5 billion for high-poverty K-12 schools, an increase of $1 billion, the largest in a decade. Funding for Head Start will increase by $289 million, to $11 billion.
-$26.9 billion in funding for child nutrition programs, an increase of $1.77 billion above what was approved in 2021.
-$53.7 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a $4 billion increase from 2021. The bill also creates 25,000 new Housing Choice Vouchers for low-income individuals and families at risk of homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and veterans. Eligible people could use the vouchers to find their own housing and pay rent.
-$14.1 billion for the Interior Department, a $776 million increase Democrats wanted for more robust conservation efforts and to launch a Civilian Climate Corps.
-$3.26 billion for the National Park service, a $142 million increase.
-$1.41 billion for the Bureau of Land Management, $101 million above current spending.
-$1.64 billion for the Fish and Wildlife Service, an increase of $62 million.
–Pell Grants, used to help undergraduate students with exceptional financial needs, will see an increase to the maximum offering by $400, to $6,895 a year.
-$568.7 million in additional funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, bringing the total budget to $2.6 billion to prevent cyberattacks.
-$75 million for election security grants to bolster state efforts to improve integrity of elections for federal office. $20 million of operating expenses for the Election Assistance Commission, an increase of $3 million.
-$44.9 billion for the Department of Energy, an increase of approximately $2.9 billion.
-$3.2 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, an increase of $3.2 million.
-$24 billion in NASA funding, $760 million below the Biden administration’s request.
-$45 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a $2.25 billion increase, including $1 billion to speed up research on ALS, Alzheimers, diabetes and cancer.
-$9.5 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including an increase in their core science and environmental funding of about $224 million to $3.5 billion.
-$4.35 billion for State and Tribal Assistance Grants, a $38 million increase.
-$2.77 billion for Clean Water and Drinking Water state revolving funds, which equals current funding.
-$1.23 billion for the Superfund program, a $27 million increase.
-$92 million for diesel emissions reduction grants, a $2 million increase.
-$587 million for geographic conservation programs, like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and efforts to preserve the Chesapeake Bay.
-$539 million for environmental monitoring and compliance work.
-$100 million for environmental justice programs, according to a fact sheet, an increase of over $12 million from current spending.
-$8.5 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase of $582 million.
-$83 million for safe motherhood and infant health, an increase of $20 million.
-$212 million for mental health resources for children and youth, an increase of $25 million.
-$6.9 billion to the National Cancer Institute’s budget, an increase of $353 million, much of which is dedicated to the so-called “cancer moonshot.”
-$73 million for the Urban Indian Health Program.
-$10.3 billion for health, education, public safety, and other trust and treaty responsibilities throughout Indian Country.
-$52 million ($10 million above 2021 enacted levels) for Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
-$36 million for Urban and Community Forestry.
-$180 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
-$370 million for enhanced security in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Oman.
-Up to $500 million, specifically, designated for Jordan and its military to enhance security along its border.
So, what does this mean for a taxpayer? Well, a total of $1.5 trillion dollars divided by 300 million taxpayers = 1,500,000,000,000/300,000,000 = $5,000 per person.
Let’s be real though, 300 million don’t pay federal taxes. Let’s say 60% of that, which is 180 million. So, $1.5 trillion dollars divided by 180 million taxpayers = 1,500,000,000,000/180,000,000 = $8,333 per person.
This should piss off taxpayers. This is all a HUGE slush fund in one fucking bill.
Here is another website to check out, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.