“There’s an old saying in Washington that the policy follows the money,” a 2011 Fox News story about the defunding of the national healthcare law began. “In other words, if there’s no money for something, the policy won’t go very far.”
 
The term “follow the money” has existed since the 1970s and has the more general meaning that finding the source of money will reveal the source of power. “Policy follows (the) money” has been cited in print since at least 2000.
 
 
Google News Archive
8 November 2000, Toledo (OH) Blade, “DeWine wins 2nd Senate term by defeating newcomer Celeste” by Dale Emch and James Drew, pg. A7, col. 5:
Mr. DeWine said Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott told him last night that he had been reappointed to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee.
 
He said based on seniority, he is in line to get a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
 
“When there is an opening, I will take the opportunity to join that committee. We haven’t had anybody on there since 1945, Republican or Democrat. I think it is important—it is where the money is and policy follows money,” Mr DeWine said.
     
Seattle (WA) Times
Sunday, April 7, 2002 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
The first 100 days: Mayor’s reach goes further, makes waves
By Jim Brunner and J. Martin McOmber
Seattle Times staff reporters
(...)
“Policy follows money; it always will,” said Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, who developed a hardball political reputation as chief of staff to Sims.
   
Thirty Seconds to Mars
GhettoKameleon
Posted 30 January 2010 - 05:23 AM
Lobbyists and special interests are a HUGE part of what fund the government, so yes, they have a place in politics. Policy follows money, and it always will. Saying those have no place in politics is like saying milk has no place cereal.
   
The Space Review
NASA’s extended limbo
by Jeff Foust
Monday, November 29, 2010
(...) 
“Policy follows money, but sometimes authorization bills matter, and certainty the recent NASA authorization bill matters quite a lot,” said Jim Muncy, president of PoliSpace, during a panel session about space policy at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight in Las Cruces, New Mexico, last month. He added, though, that the key to the policy—including the broader national space policy issued by the administration in June—is how it’s carried out. “The policy’s great, but the question is, will they implement it correctly?”
 
FoxNews.com
House of Representatives
Republicans Plan to Choke Off Funding for Health Care Law
By Chad Pergram
Published February 08, 2011
There’s an old saying in Washington that the policy follows the money. In other words, if there’s no money for something, the policy won’t go very far.
 
Such could be the case with the health care reform law Congress approved last year.
 
Health care reform may be the law of the land. But it won’t mean much if the funding stream dries up.