Something all three places have in common is long stretches of the year with minimal sunlight. There’s a $1.5 million “solar field” in Toledo, Ohio, a $1.9 million “solar testbed” in West Virginia, and $3 million for “ floating solar” near Albany, New York. For instance, an “ eco village” in Baltimore will reap $3 million. The spending bill contains dozens of “green” projects, many of which have no chance of meaningfully helping the environment. Reduce Pollution by Lighting Cash on Fire Non-state territories also get in on the action: A “fisherman’s co-op facility” in Guam nets $3 million.

A “ freshwater mussel hatchery” in Pennsylvania gets $925,000. Roger Williams University in Rhode Island will receive $1.6 million for “equitable growth of shellfish aquaculture industry,” which combines corporate welfare with identity politics.

Here’s a small sampling of what Congress has decided to throw inflationary cash at. These earmarks weren’t even listed in the bill itself, but rather inside a dozen semi-blurry “ explanatory statements” that few people know to look for. Earmarks have a sordid history in the swamp, making it easier to pass bad legislation by letting incumbents “bring home the bacon” at national taxpayer expense. Included in the spending package was the return of earmarks, where members of Congress select specific projects to fund. Legislators voted to hike spending by 6% overall, with even faster growth in nondefense areas. The latest item in the spending spree was March’s “omnibus” legislation to fund operations of the federal government. While the Biden administration blames the war in Ukraine and “greedy” energy companies, the timing of the inflation spike is more closely linked to unnecessary stimulus bills passed after the 2020 election.Īlthough legislators have many options for addressing the inflation crisis, they consistently choose to pour gasoline on the inflationary fire, often for nakedly political purposes. The insane spending spree that Congress has gone on since the start of the pandemic is one of the central causes of today’s brutal inflation.

Peter david hulk omnibus vol 1