And it is not getting spent precisely because of that much-maligned Washington trait: gridlock.
Herman D. Farrell Jr., the Democrat who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, stood on the floor and answered a long list of questions from members, most from Republicans asking about how taxpayer money was getting spent.
Last week Clegg delivered a speech on the subject, announcing Alexander would be in charge of corralling government departments to ensure capital spending committed actually ended up getting spent and no part of Whitehall ended up underspending.
Voicing a distrust of Washington that is common on Wall Street, Mr. Cohen said, "Everyone's concerned that if this money isn't returned to taxpayers, it ends up getting spent".
But for others it was good news in a shaky time: money not spent on oil and gas was remaining in people's pockets or getting spent instead on holiday shopping.
"No legislative body in the world institutes a revenue-raising program unless they know how the money's getting spent," Mr. Silver said, referring to the possibility of raising taxes to help finance the authority.
