To extend on what Shill said, it's a government feed trough. You make magic mystery money at the magic mystery money machine, give it to a government agency, who gives it out as a grant. That grant money is administered by a friend of someone high up in the agency. (Look at what is happening to Edison Motors right now.)

Then whoever gets the grant spends it on things the agency approves of, sold by friends of the agency's leadership, installed by other friends. Those people give their patrons a slice (10% for the big guy), who invest it in real, tangible things.

So, you have multiple layers of contractors and administrators who have real, tangible things that were bought with proceeds from ex nihlo money creation. The average American makes $50k. The average government employee makes half again that.