Where DID All The Money Go?

How The $825 Billion Stimulus Was Spent In Your State Over The Past Three Years. We'll start listing the major waste and abuse with all the States that begin with an "A".

ALABAMA
$400,000 For Highway “Beautification Project.” “The city of Hoover will get $400,000 in federal stimulus money for a landscaping and beautification project at the Interstate 65 and U.S. 31 interchange, city officials learned this week. The project will be paid completely with federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation. The city will not be required to provide any matching funds for the project.” (Staci B. Brooks, “Hoover To Get $400,000 In Federal Stimulus Money For Landscaping,” The Birmingham News, 7/8/09)

ALASKA
$15 Million To Construct Airport In Village Of Ouzinkie With 165 Residents. “The village of Ouzinkie is one of the remotest outposts in the United States—home to a mere 165 people on an island off another island off the coast of Alaska. There are no stores, no gas stations and no stoplights. Yet the village will soon be home to a new $15 million airport paid for by taxpayers under the federal stimulus package.” (Michael Grabell, “Tiny Airports Take Off With Stimulus,” Pro Publica, 7/13/09)

$13.9 Million To Replace Airport In Akiachak With 660 Residents. “The second calls for spending $13.9 million to replace the airport in Akiachak, a remote Yup’ik Eskimo village in western Alaska with a population of around 660.” (Michael Cooper, “Inspector General Questions Value Of Some Airport Stimulus Projects,” The New York Times, 8/11/09)

ARIZONA
$950,000 To Study The Genetic Makeup Of Ants. "Half a million dollars went to Arizona State University to study the genetic makeup of ants to determine distinctive roles in ant colonies; $450,000 went to the University Of Arizona to study the division of labor in ant colonies." ("Senate GOP Point Out 'Pure Waste' Found In Stimulus Package," The Hill, 12/8/09)

Stimulus Funds Spent To Build “Bat-Friendly Cupolas And Desert Tortoise Fencing…” “By the administration's calculations, recovery act money created or saved almost 400 jobs in the county while providing money for projects ranging from bat-friendly cupolas and desert tortoise fencing...” (Mark Duncan, “Stimulus Report Card: Where Did All The Mohave County Money Go?” Kingman Daily Miner, 1/23/12)

ARKANSAS
$2.5 Million For The Clinton Presidential Library. “A historic bridge at Bill Clinton's presidential center in Little Rock is slated to get $2.5 million of federal stimulus money from Arkansas's share of the funds.

Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation sought an $8 million legislative earmark for the bridge this year, without success. But after Congress authorized the $787 billion stimulus package in February, representatives of the William J. Clinton Foundation contacted Mr. Beebe's office, according to Matt DeCample, the governor's spokesman, and spoke with Mr. Beebe's recovery director and ombudsman to suggest the bridge project receive funds from Arkansas's share.” (Louis Radnofsky, “Clinton Site Gets A Taste Of The Stimulus Pie,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/30/09)

$13,000 For A Sculpture To Decorate Fort Smith High School. “A large piece of art amidst the extensive renovation at Southside High School in Fort Smith is part of an effort to change the appearance of the ‘factory-like’ main building at the high school. The cost of the sculpture and surrounding area, which was designed by Fort Smith architect Tim Risley, is $13,000, according to information from the school district. The cost of the renovation of the high school — which includes new sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, parking lots — is around $2.6 million. The school district says 80% of the funds are federal stimulus dollars.” (“Large Art Structure Part Of High School Renovation,” The City Wire, 8/5/09)

Thanks to the Republican National Committee for their research and bringing wastefull stimulus spending to the light of day. You won't see this information in any legacy news media reports.

Republican National Committee, 310 First Street SE - Washington, D.C. 20003 - phone (202) 863-8500