I've been watching this bill for the last two weeks and it makes for interesting discussion at parties where you have already had too much to drink. But let me bring forward a few doozies you might not have heard about in the press.
Sec. 8019. None of the funds available to the Department of Defense may be used to demilitarize or dispose of M-1 Carbines, M-1 Garand rifles, M-14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles, or M-1911 pistols, or to demilitarize or destroy small arms ammunition or ammunition components that are not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale under Federal law, unless the small arms ammunition or ammunition components are certified by the Secretary of the Army or designee as unserviceable or unsafe for further use.
Do you think the NRA might have had a hand in writing this part of the law? Remember this is the bill with no markups.
More over the fold.....
Sec. 8020. No more than $500,000 of the funds appropriated or made available in this Act shall be used during a single fiscal year for any single relocation of an organization, unit, activity or function of the Department of Defense into or within the National Capital Region: Provided, That the Secretary of Defense may waive this restriction on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the congressional defense committees that such a relocation is required in the best interest of the Government.
Let's see. Afraid that the military might try to move troops into D.C. to counter a Tea Party Rally?
The cuts to the R&D budget of the Army, Navy and Air Force are truly draconian. They are left with $10B, $18B, and $27B but were clawed back $53M and $198M from the Army and the Air Force. So of $54B they lost $250M which is 0.05% of their budget. These Republicans are really cutting deep.
We have really helped the Made In America provisions:
Sec. 8018. None of the funds in this Act may be available for the purchase by the Department of Defense (and its departments and agencies) of welded shipboard anchor and mooring chain 4 inches in diameter and under unless the anchor and mooring chain are manufactured in the United States from components which are substantially manufactured in the United States:
We've found what we are good at. Mooring Chains. And the Anchors have to be made in America too. Wall Street has shown us the way to tie us all to anchors and made-in-America chains.
I guess Guantanamo stays open:
Sec. 1113. (a)(1) Notwithstanding section 1101, except as provided in paragraph (2), none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this division or any other Act (including division A of this Act) may be used to transfer any individual detained at Guantanamo to the custody or effective control of the individual's country of origin, any other foreign country, or any other foreign entity unless the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress the certification described in subsection (b) by not later than 30 days before the transfer of the individual.
and unless
The certification described in this subsection is a written certification made by the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, that the government of the foreign country or the recognized leadership of the foreign entity to which the individual detained at Guantanamo is to be transferred--
....
(4) has agreed to take effective steps to ensure that the individual cannot take action to threaten the United States, its citizens, or its allies in the future;
Yep, sounds like they can be shipped home, only if dead.
All 2010 Earmarks are dead....
Sec. 1111. Any language specifying an earmark in an appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010, or in a committee report or joint explanatory statement accompanying such an Act, shall have no legal effect with respect to funds appropriated by this division.
The bill is replete with program deletions to kill Environment and Conservation:
Sec. 1281. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this division or any other Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out the Wetlands Reserve Program authorized by sections 1237-1237F of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3837-3837f) to enroll in excess of 202,218 acres in fiscal year 2011: Provided, That such program shall be permanently reduced by 47,782 acres.
Sec. 1282. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this division or any other Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out the Conservation Stewardship Program authorized by sections 1238D-1238G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838d-3838g) in excess of $649,000,000.
Sec. 1283. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this division or any other Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out the program authorized by section 14 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012): Provided, That of the funds available under such section for fiscal year 2011, $165,000,000 is rescinded.
One of my personal favorites for the uselessness of it all:
Sec. 1339. (a) None of the funds made available by this division may be used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of enactment of this division.
(b) The limitation in subsection (a) shall also apply to any funds used to effectuate the hosting of official Chinese visitors at facilities belonging to or utilized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
So much for your Denovo desktop. And I wonder what happens to the visiting Chinese Scientists working at NASA.
And for the Department of Energy Science Programs:
Sec. 1408. All of the provisos under the heading `Department of Energy, Energy Programs, Science' in title III of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-85) shall not apply to funds appropriated by this division.
I don't have enough background to understand all the cuts to DOE in the area of these programs but it doesn't sound good.
We tend to think of the White House having lots of resources to run the country:
Sec. 1522. Notwithstanding section 1101, the level for `Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President, Council of Economic Advisors, Salaries and Expenses' shall be $3,990,000.
Sec. 1523. Notwithstanding section 1101, the level for `Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President, National Security Council, Salaries and Expenses' shall be $11,619,000.
$11M for the National Security Council? $4M for the Council on Economic Advisors? You only get what you pay for.
Sec. 1528. Notwithstanding section 1101, the level for `Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center' shall be $0.
Ok. What's the message here? And here?
Sec. 1554. Notwithstanding section 1101, the level for `District of Columbia, Federal Funds, Federal Payment for Youth Services' shall be $0.
You want to fix our problems? Then...
Sec. 1591. (a) Notwithstanding section 1101, and section 810 of division C of Public Law 111-117, none of the funds contained in this division may be used for any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug.
(b) Any individual or entity who receives any funds contained in this division and who carries out any program described in subsection (a) shall account for all funds used for such program separately from any funds contained in this division.
Sec. 1851. Of the unobligated balances available for `Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Refugee and Entrant Assistance' in division D of Public Law 111-117, $77,000,000 is rescinded.
Pretty depressing reading and I'm sure I lost most readers by this point. But let me give you one parting shot that defines the Republicans who wrote this monstrosity....
DIVISION C--STIMULUS RESCISSIONS
Sec. 3001. (a) There are hereby rescinded all unobligated balances remaining available as of February 11, 2011, of the discretionary appropriations provided by division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to funds appropriated or otherwise made available to Offices of Inspector General and the Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board by division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Sec. 3002. Hereafter, no Federal agency administering funds provided by division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) may provide funding or reimbursement to any entity awarded funds from such Act for the cost associated with physical signage or other advertisement indicating that a project is funded by such Act.
I emboldened the last words. Petty. Vindictive. And how can you tell a State that received such funds that they have to take the signs down. Screw these guys. Now it is up to the Senate to replace all this stuff with a budget to get us through the rest of the year.