Humans are very, very bad at large numbers; there are 50 states, all different sizes - so we are naturally going to be horrible at understanding exactly how spending at a federal level translates to our local world.
This list is intended to help you recalibrate.
You (or I, or anybody) might not get a good grasp on what the idea of a $325 billion allocation for something means - but if you use this list to give you a sense of perspective, you can get the local understanding that, if that money were divided equally amongst the entire U.S., Ohio (f'rinstance) would have gotten $11.3 billion. Society needs the government to funnel its taxes towards things, to be sure - but this allows you to think 'even if this is important, is it sufficiently important that it should be done instead of some form of local necessary improvement?'
Of course this is an approximation; I'd never claim anything else. But it's a valid starting point. Especially when you're considering some local necessity which is being cut from the federal budget, while unpopular programs continue to be funded.
If $1 billion of the federal budget, such as that which is being diverted for White House ballroom/security project, were instead divided among the states proportional to population, each state would receive approximately:
| State | Share of $1 billion |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $15,046,023 |
| Alaska | $2,183,148 |
| Arizona | $22,716,545 |
| Arkansas | $9,145,622 |
| California | $116,532,924 |
| Colorado | $17,701,204 |
| Connecticut | $10,915,742 |
| Delaware | $3,097,711 |
| Florida | $69,329,714 |
| Georgia | $32,747,227 |
| Hawaii | $4,277,791 |
| Idaho | $5,900,401 |
| Illinois | $36,877,508 |
| Indiana | $20,356,384 |
| Iowa | $9,440,642 |
| Kansas | $8,850,602 |
| Kentucky | $13,275,903 |
| Louisiana | $13,570,923 |
| Maine | $4,130,281 |
| Maryland | $18,291,244 |
| Massachusetts | $20,946,424 |
| Michigan | $29,797,026 |
| Minnesota | $17,111,164 |
| Mississippi | $8,555,582 |
| Missouri | $18,291,244 |
| Montana | $3,392,731 |
| Nebraska | $5,900,401 |
| Nevada | $9,735,662 |
| New Hampshire | $4,130,281 |
| New Jersey | $27,436,866 |
| New Mexico | $6,195,421 |
| New York | $57,823,932 |
| North Carolina | $32,747,227 |
| North Dakota | $2,360,160 |
| Ohio | $34,812,367 |
| Oklahoma | $12,095,823 |
| Oregon | $12,685,863 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,352,608 |
| Rhode Island | $3,245,221 |
| South Carolina | $16,226,103 |
| South Dakota | $2,743,687 |
| Tennessee | $21,241,444 |
| Texas | $92,931,319 |
| Utah | $10,325,702 |
| Vermont | $1,917,630 |
| Virginia | $26,256,785 |
| Washington | $23,601,605 |
| West Virginia | $5,310,361 |
| Wisconsin | $17,701,204 |
| Wyoming | $1,740,618 |