Interior Budget

Josh, Leo, Donna, Congressman Landis, and Deaver reference the Interior budget in the White House Mess as they grapple with the Chesapeake cleanup bill's defeat in committee. They weigh it alongside the EPA budget as a viable fallback funding source for the project, highlighting pragmatic shifts after legislative sabotage. No physical form appears; characters invoke it verbally during tense policy talk.

2 appearances

Purpose

Funds environmental cleanup projects like Chesapeake as an alternative to failed legislation

Significance

Embodies a key policy lever for the administration to pursue cleanup goals despite partisan defeats, underscoring moderates' squeeze and the human cost of tradeoffs

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E19 · Angel Maintenance

Chesapeake Bill Dies — A Moderate's Quiet Farewell

The Interior budget is similarly invoked as an alternative source of funding; mentioned to reassure Landis and indicate the White House has options beyond congressional appropriations.

Before: Allocated within departmental appropriations and uncommitted to Chesapeake cleanup.

After: Raised as a potential internal resource to cover the project's costs if the legislative route fails.

View full event

S4E19 · Angel Maintenance

Donna Rules Out Sabotage — Angel's Light Likely Failed

The Interior budget is likewise offered as an alternative funding source by staff; it is rhetorically deployed to reassure Landis that environmental work can still be funded despite the bill's defeat.

Before: Existing budget line under consideration as an alternative funding vehicle.

After: Identified as a possible source; its reallocation will require internal White House maneuvering.

View full event