Some of the cuts and increases in the tax bill - Nice

[Mass]

While I welcome the increase for Head Start, a lot of the programs that lose money are as essential, if not more, to the wellfare of poor people. So it is a really mixed bag and it is too bad Democrats (and in particular the White House and Reid) call that a victory rather than calling it what it is and blaming the GOP.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2011/04/2011_funding_bi.html

A partial list of the cuts, compiled from summaries on the site for committee Democrats and that of the Republicans include:

- $1.6 billion less for the Environmental Protection Agency.
- $950 million less for Community Development Block Grants, which are given to state and local communities for a variety of programs, services and neighborhood revitalization.
- $500 million less the Women and Infant Children nutrition program for the poor.
- $414 million less for state and local law enforcement grants.
- $600 million less for Community Health Centers.

Not every part of government received a cut. The Pentagon budget received a $5 billion increase, and other agencies and departments also received increases:

- $74 million more the Securities and Exchange Commission
- $340 million more for Head Start, the early education program for children.
- $20 million more for humanitarian disasters and refugee assistance.

[ProSense]

1. Here are the details

Summary of H.R.1473; FY2011 Appropriations

Washington- U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, ranking Democratic Member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement today regarding H.R.1473, the agreement reached last week to fund the government through the remainder of the current fiscal year:

“Like all Members, I was relieved and encouraged when the leadership of both houses of Congress and the Obama Administration avoided a government shutdown and completed an agreement on funding levels for the remainder of this fiscal year late on Friday.

“It would have been irresponsible and I believe unnecessary for us to allow our partisan differences to result in the chaos and the loss of vital government services that would have ensued if Congress had not taken action to continue funding beyond last Friday night’s deadline. I said repeatedly that it would be the worst possible outcome, especially at a time when we are at war and when our economy is still fragile.

“What we achieved was an imperfect result, to be sure, but it represented a compromise that the President believed was in the best interests of the nation while protecting the highest priorities of his Administration and the Democrats in Congress.

“The compromise legislation includes some clear achievements for our caucus, including protection critical funding for Pell Grants, various elements of the new health care reform law, the Head Start program and Community Services Block Grants. At the same time the compromise that was reached between the House Republican Leadership, Senator Reid and the Administration included several elements that many of our Members would not have accepted. The entire compromise legislation is thus presented to the House membership this week and each Member must consider all of the ramifications before casting a vote.”

Below is a summary of key funding levels

Agriculture

• The Women, Infants and Children's (WIC) nutrition program is funded at $6.7 billion; $243 million above HR1.

• The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is funded at $176 million; $5 million above the FY2010 enacted level and $25 million above HR1.

• Food Safety and Inspection Service is funded at $1.0 billion; $10 million below the enacted level and $78 million above HR1.

• P.L.480 Food for Peace is funded at $1.5 billion; $190 million below the enacted level.

Commerce, Justice, Science

• State and Local Law Enforcement grants are funded at $1.1 billion; $414 million below the enacted level and $167 million above HR1.

• NOAA is funded at $4.6 billion; $140 million below the enacted level and $245 million above HR1.

• COPS grants are funded at $496 million; $296 million below the enacted level and $93 million below HR1.

• The Legal Services Corporation is funded at $405 million; $15 million below the enacted level and $55 million above HR1.

Defense

• Defense is funded at $513 billion; $17 billion below the President's FY11 Budget Request and $5 billion above the enacted level.

• No funds are provided for continued development of an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Energy and Water

• The Army Corps of Engineers is funded at $4.9 billion; $578 million below the enacted level.

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is funded at $1.8 billion; $407 million below the enacted level.

• Science and ARPA-E programs are funded at $5 billion; $161 million above the enacted level and $997 million above HR1.

• HR1 included a number of legislative riders related to ESA and climate change research that were not included in this bill.

Financial Services

• The IRS is funded at $12.1 billion; the same as the enacted level and $603 million above HR1.

• The Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund is funded at $227 million; $20 million below the enacted level and $177 million above HR1.

• The SEC is funded at 1.185 billion; $74 million above the enacted level and $115 million above HR1.

• Includes language to prohibit the District of Columbia from using its own local tax funds to provide abortion services.

• Includes the DC voucher bill, HR 470, as passed by the House.

• HR1 contained legislative riders restricting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; DC local funds from being used for needle exchange programs; and FCC from implementing net neutrality rules. These have not been included in this bill.

Homeland Security

• The FEMA Disaster Relief Fund is funded at $2.7 billion; $1.1 billion above the enacted level.

• FEMA State and Local grants is funded at $2.23 billion; $815 million below the enacted level and $80 million above HR1.

• Firefighters Assistance grants is funded at $810 million; the same as the enacted level and HR1 as amended. Also includes waivers of cost-share requirements and to retain and hire firefighters.

• Customs and Border Protection Salaries and Expenses is funded at $8.21 billion; $149 million above the enacted level. This fully funds 21,370 the Border Patrol agents and Southwest Border security initiatives.

Interior and Environment

• The EPA is funded at $8.7 billion; $1.6 below the enacted level and $1.45 billion above HR1.

• State Drinking Water and Waste Water Infrastructure funds are funded at $2.5 billion; $997 million below the enacted level and $970 million above HR1.

• Science and Technology is funded at $815 million; $31 million below the enacted level and $55 million above HR1.

• Land and Water Conservation Fund is funded at $301 million; $149 million below the enacted level and $244 million above HR1.

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement is funded at $239 million; $58 above the enacted level and $14 million above HR1.

• HR1 contained 16 legislative riders, including several related to greenhouse gases and other EPA matters, wild lands, endangered species, and mountaintop mining. None were included in this bill except one related to wild lands and one delisting grey wolves in 2 states.

Labor, HHS, Education

• The Maximum Pell Grant award is maintained at $5,550.

• Head Start is funded at $7.6 billion; $340 million above the enacted level and $1.4 billion above HR1.

• Title X Family Planning is funded at $300 million; $17 million below the enacted level. No funds were provided in HR1 for Title X.

• Community Health Centers are funded at $1.6 billion; $600 million below the enacted level and $414 million above HR1.

• National Institutes of Health is funded at $30.7 billion; $260 million, or 0.8 percent, below the enacted level. HR1 cut NIH by $1.6 billion.

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting is funded at $445 million; the same as the enacted level. No funds were provided in HR1 for CPB.

• Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps and other programs) is funded at 1.1 billion; $72 million below the enacted level and $952 million above HR1.

• Community Services Block grants are funded at $680 million; $20 million below the enacted level and $285 million above HR1.

• Workforce Investment Act job training grants are funded at $2.8 billion; $182 million below the enacted level. No funds were provided in HR1.

• HR1 included legislative riders to defund the Affordable Care Act; prohibit funding to Planned Parenthood; stop the Education Department from implementing "gainful employment" regulations of proprietary colleges; and prohibit the use of federal funds for needle exchange programs. These have not been included in this bill

Legislative Branch

• Members' Representational Allowances (MRA) is funded at $613 million; $47 million below the enacted level and the same as HR1.

• Capitol Police is funded at $341 million; $12.5 above the enacted level and the same as HR1.

Military Construction, VA

• Fully funds FY2012 advances for medical services in the Veterans Health Administration.

• Additional funding of $7 million is provided to the Arlington National Cemetery to address needs such as burial markings and facility maintenance.

State and Foreign Operations

• Does not include the "Mexico City Policy" language, also known as the "Global Gag Rule," that prohibits federal funds from going to NGOs that provide or promote abortion services.

• Development Assistance is funded at $2.5 billion; $5 million above the enacted level and $752 million above HR1.

• Global Health and Child Survival is funded at $2.5 billion; $80 million above the enacted level and $351 million above HR1.

• Family planning is funded at $615 million; $88 million below the enacted level and $175 million above HR1. This includes the U.S. contribution to UNFPA, which HR1 zeroed out.

• Humanitarian Disaster and Refugee Assistance is funded at $2.6 billion; $20 million above the enacted level and 1.1 billion above HR1.

Transportation, HUD

• Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) is funded at $50 million; $25 million below the enacted level. HR1 did not include funding for VASH.

• Community Development Block grants are funded at $3.5 billion; $950 million below the enacted level and $1.5 billion above HR1.

• Tenant Based Section 8 Housing is funded at $16.7 billion; $987 million above the enacted level and the same as HR1.

• High speed rail is not funded in this bill.

Budget tricks helped Obama save programs from cuts

[Mass]

2. So, brutal cuts, but not quite as brutal as the GOP wanted.

Still, they should not have presented that as a victory. People will hurt and they should have the decency to say so and WHY...

Or do we have to understand that president Obama APPROVES Infants and Children's (WIC) nutrition program is funded at $6.7 billion being cut by nearly 10 %. Does he really think there are less poor people and that the funds are not needed? Or that State Drinking Water and Waste Water Infrastructure funds are cut by 1/3?

The problem with congratulating Boehner for his work is that you become complicit of these numbers.

[ProSense]

3. Brutal was

the GOP proposal. Based on the deal half the cuts are not going to have any impact.

CBS: Budget deal details: Cuts that aren't quite cuts

<...>

Among the cuts:

$700 million from clean and safe drinking water programs;
$390 million from heating subsidies;
$276 million from pandemic flu prevention programs; and
$1.5 billion from the president's new $8 billion initiative to spur high-speed rail development.

Many of the cuts appear to have been cuts in name only, because they came from programs that had unspent funds.

For example, $1.7 billion left over from the 2010 census; $3.5 billion in unused children's health insurance funds; $2.2 billion in subsidies for health insurance co-ops (that's something the president's new health care law is going to fund anyway); and $2.5 billion from highway programs that can't be spent because of restrictions set by other legislation.

About $10 billion of the cuts comes from targeting appropriations accounts previously used by lawmakers for so-called earmarks - pet projects like highways, water projects, community development grants and new equipment for police and fire departments. Republicans had already engineered a ban on earmarks when taking back the House this year.

<...>

[Mass]

4. First, both proposals are brutal. The GOP one is more brutal than the one that will be voted on.

Second, the fact that some of these funds were not used does not mean they will not be used next year, if the situation is bad. Some of these sums are block grants, which means that they do not vary if the need increases.

Sorry, some cant stand the truth, but these cuts are brutal and saying otherwise is just ignoring the reality.