Pork in the War Bill

By Kate Phillips NY TIMES

President Bush and the Republican leadership in both the House and the Senate have complained about many of the additions to the emergency war bill that would provide billions of dollars for domestic projects.

Although the Senate is about to vote on its version of the spending bill, it seems unlikely that resolving the House and Senate versions will occur before the Congressional recess next week. Mr. Bush has threatened to veto any version that includes a date for withdrawal of the troops, and says money will start running out by mid-April.

Mr. Bush also criticized the bill for including about $19 billion more than he asked for in funds unrelated to the war.

You’ve heard about a few of those projects recently; in the House version, there is $24 million for spinach growers and millions for peanut storage. During a speech Wednesday, Mr. Bush drew widespread laughter when he remarked on the millions listed for tours of the Capitol to see “how Congress works.”

Courtesy of The Times’s Jeff Zeleny, here is a more complete list of those domestic priorities, tucked in to help persuade on-the-fence lawmakers to go along with language for a withdrawal date:

* $4.2 billion in agriculture assistance.
* $3 million for funding for sugar cane (goes to one Hawaiian co-op).
* $24 million for funding for sugar beets.
* $2 million to the University of Vermont Education Excellence Program.
* $25 million for the Safe and Drug Free Schools program.
* $48 million for disaster reconstruction for NASA.
* $13 million for mine safety research.
* $25 million for asbestos abatement and tunnel repair at the Capitol Power Plant.
* $640 million for LIHEAP.
* $500 million for wildfire suppression.
* $13.2 million for avian flu research and monitoring.
* $3.5 million related to guided tours of the U.S. Capitol.
* $12 million for forest service money (requested by the president in the non-emergency FY2008 budget).
* $22.8 million for geothermal research and development