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Friday, January 26, 2007
Tight CR May Not Plug All Holes
Next week, House appropriators plan to introduce the full-year extension of the continuing resolution that funds about half of all discretionary programs. The $463 billion bill may shuffle some money around to fill growing funding gaps, but some programs are bound to take hits under the tight budget cap that the last Congress imposed.
CongressDaily ($) reports that appropriators who're in charge of the labor/hhs bill, which covers funding for the department of labor, education, and health and human services, expect a funding boost that returns that bill to FY 2005 levels. That boost would provide about $7 billion more than what President Bush proposed last year and will help close gaps in funding for things like Head Start, the National Institute for Health, and housing assistance.
The labor/hhs bill appears relatively safe, but all agencies may not be spared the chopping block. Appropriators have said that they'll keep this budget within the very tight cap that the last Congress set. At the end of the day there may not be enough money to go around for every program. Too many programs have holes to fill.
GovExec had a story yesterday on the many areas where unless there's more money, programs will take big cuts:
Health benefits for veterans and active-duty military face a combined $5 billion shortfall if their budgets are left frozen.The Social Security Administration needs a $180 million increase or it will be forced to temporarily furlough all employees. The Food Safety and Inspection Service would face a similar situation in September, while the Small Business Administration faces a more immediate problem -- its disaster loan program would shut down in late February.
The FBI would face a yearlong hiring freeze, Judiciary would have to fire 2,500 employees, Amtrak would have to eliminate routes; and 227,000 residents of low-income housing would be left homeless, displaced or forced into overcrowded conditions, the report said.
Last year's budget never had enough money in it, not in the CR or under the budget resolution cap. This spring, when Congress votes on the new budget resolution, it has a chance to set a budget cap that makes enough money available to fully fund all public priorities. Let's hope they make the right call.
Posted by Matt Lewis
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