2006 Budget and Good-bye Domestic Programs

I imagine that the 2006 Budget is going to be a hot topic for a while so here is the link to the Official Budget and related documents. I am going to focus here on proposed cuts, increases, and things not included.

Budget for 2006 - $2.57 Trillion

Proposed Cuts
One-third of the cuts are in education programs: 48 programs including vocational programs, and numerous high school programs ($4.3 billion)
Safe and Drug Free Schools -$440 million
Education technology grants -$500 million
Even Start Literacy Program -$225 million
Upward Bound - $280 million
Talent Research -$150 million
Eliminate Perkins Loan program

Food Stamps for the Working Poor -$1 billion (LA Times)

Farm Subsidies for food crops cut 5% across the board and an annual cap of $250,000

Medicaid Reduced
Some weapons programs mothballed ("Air Force advanced fighter plane, a stealthy Navy destroyer and the next generation of nuclear submarines" Wa. Post)
Law Enforcement Grants to States cut from $2.8 to $1.5 billion
Railway cuts: Highspeed Trains -$20 million, Railroad Rehabilitation -$250 million.

Department of Energy Cuts
Land and Water conservation programs -$100 million

Healthy Communities Access Program -$94 million (and phase out grants for rural health)

Terminate the Community Food and Nutrition Program
Cut the migrant and seasonal farm worker training programs

Eighteen housing and development programs would be reduced by a total of 40% or cuts of $3.7 billion

For Mr. Bush to fulfill his promise of cutting the deficit in half by 2009, Mr. Riedl said, the president would have to cut $200 billion from domestic programs that now cost less than $500 billion a year.

"There is no way you can reach that goal by cutting only discretionary spending," Mr. Riedl said. "You have to go after entitlements as well." (NY Times)

Proposed Increases
International AIDS funds ($3.2 billion)
Foreign Operations and development +17%
$304 million for rural community health centers
$19 billion more for Department of Defense

Increase (by $50 year) Pell Grant awards

Not in the Calculations
War in Afghanistan, Iraq, or future theaters (Wa. Post)
Cost of Bush's "reform" of Social Security
No Amtrak subsidy

No cost for the US emergency petroleum stockpile (BBC)

Summation
The message of the budget proposal are clear. "Leave no child behind" means leave many children behind. Universal literacy and creating educational opportunity are out, but then support for the poor to even be housed is apparently not worth supporting either. The "jobs of the 21st Century" apparently do not require technology skills - or else there isn't room for economically disadvantage children to compete. Apparently, they don't need vocational training either. Since Bush is apparently cutting "programs that don't work," apparently feeding, educating, and providing health care to the poor and working poor are out, and so is creating safe drug-free schools.

On the other hand, "development" (as part of the "war on tyranny" I suppose) is in. Homeland Security is up for more money, but local police forces lose funds. Who exactly is going to "respond" to an emergency?

Well, it should be interesting to see what Congress does with this budget.

Sources
2/07/05 Allen & Baker, Wa. Post, Bush Seeks Deep Spending Cuts

2/07/05 Havemann & Curtis, LA Times, Bush to Propose Billions in Cuts

2/07/05 BBC, Bush budget seeks deep cutbacks

2/07/05 Andrews, NYT, Trim Deficit? Only if Bush Uses Magic