Appropriations Line — Appalachian Transportation Institute ($12,000,000) (line item, S01E06)

A single printed appropriation line embedded in the stapled Appropriations bill packet: the agency name 'Appalachian Transportation Institute,' a terse program title, and a bold, column-aligned dollar figure — '$12,000,000.' The entry sits on standard 8.5x11 paper in a tabular budget layout, visually mundane until staffers flip to it, jab a finger at the number, and let voices sharpen. Characters skim, highlight, and weaponize the line as tangible proof of earmarking; its physicality — a penciled margin note, a slightly dog-eared corner — anchors frantic strategy and pointed gestures during meetings.

2 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E6 · Mr. Willis of Ohio

Locking Down the Census Swing Votes

The Appalachian Transportation Institute funding line is read aloud by Leo as emblematic pork — a concrete example that sharpens staff outrage and frames the moral and political argument against needless earmarks.

Before: Stapled within the Appropriations packet and physically present on the staffers' reading table.

After: Remains in the packet; used rhetorically to motivate the swing-vote operation but not removed or altered.

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S1E6 · Mr. Willis of Ohio

Donna Claims Her Surplus

The Appalachian Transportation Institute $12M line is read aloud by Leo as an example of incoming earmarks; it functions narratively as evidence of pork and fuels the team's cynical amusement and urgency to trade payoffs for votes.

Before: Stapled within the Appropriations packet, physically present on the table in Leo's office.

After: Remains in the packet; now emotionally flagged by staff as part of the bargaining ledger for persuasion.

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