Report details federal spending on corridor

The federal government spent a whopping $2.8 trillion on domestic expenses in 2008, and Louisiana got nearly $44.5 billion of it, ranking it 15th in the nation. So which corridor parishes got the biggest slices of that pie? According to newly released U.S. Census reports, New Orleans alone got more than $7.8 billion, followed closely by East Baton Rouge, with more than $7.2 billion. Also in the billion-dollar club were Jefferson, $2.9 billion; St. Tammany, nearly $1.2 billion; Calcasieu, $1.2 billion; and Lafayette, $1.1 billion. Of the remaining corridor parishes, Tangipahoa got nearly $797 million; Livingston, $465 million; Acadia, $417 million; Ascension, $388 million; West Baton Rouge, $293 million; St. Martin, $280 million; Iberville, $267 million; St. John the Baptist, $260 million; St. Charles, $249 million; and Jefferson Davis, $212 million. St. James Parish got the least amount of aid on the corridor, just $151 million. The numbers include expenses like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, procurement contracts, direct and guaranteed loans, housing assistance and veterans’ benefits. To see the full report, click here. – Penny Font