worldbefree
05-27-2004, 03:03 PM
Why does this administration always have to defend it's record. It's not like the Democrat's are spending 50 million of tax payer dollars investigating them. Sometimes I wish they would.
White House Memo Seeks 2006 Budget Tightening
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has told government agencies to brace for slower spending growth and outright budget cuts if President Bush (news - web sites) is re-elected, including in homeland security, education and other domestic programs touted by his campaign.
White House officials played down the proposed cutbacks, spelled out in budget documents and a May 19 memo, leaked on Thursday, setting out rough spending guidelines for federal agencies for the fiscal year 2006 budget.
"Decisions about total levels (of funding) as well as for specific program levels will not be made for months," said J.T. Young, spokesman for the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The proposed cutbacks opened Bush up to attack from Democratic presidential rival John Kerry (news - web sites)'s campaign. It released copies of the memo to the press and questioned Bush's election-year commitments to homeland security, health care and education.
"This secret memo goes to the heart of the White House's two-faced approach to governing," said Phil Singer, a Kerry campaign spokesman.
"President Bush goes around the country touting his commitment to education but then pursues plans to gut the funds for schools. He talks about homeland security, but then tries to slash the resources first responders need to protect us," Singer added.
But release of the memo could help Bush shore up support from fiscal conservatives. They have accused the Republican president of not proposing deep enough cuts to bring down this year's record federal budget deficit.
"It certainly can't hurt with fiscal conservatives," said Brian Riedl, a budget expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "At the same time, it is always important to see real spending cuts now as opposed to a promise of spending cuts later."
According to an analysis by Democrats, Homeland Security would face $1 billion in cuts starting in fiscal year 2006 under the White House plan. Its budget that year would be about $29.6 billion.
Veterans Affairs would be cut by $910 million in 2006 from $29.7 billion in 2005 while spending growth at the Education Department would slow.
WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS RECORD
White House officials disputed the figures, saying they are based on computer modeling that historically does not reflect the final outcome of internal budget deliberations. In fact, officials said, these types of "mechanical projections" are routinely off by 10 percent or more.
White House officials defended Bush's record, saying he has nearly tripled homeland security spending and has increased the total education budget by 36 percent from 2001.
"This memo is a process document only. It is a routine, normal part of the budget process," said Young. "It merely allows us to begin the process of putting together a budget... It is not a decision document."
"While we intend to hold the line on spending and cut the deficit in half over the next five years, it doesn't mean we can't adequately fund our priorities as is done in the president's current budget as well as in his past budgets," Young added.
According to the documents, Bush's 2006 budget would effectively freeze or cut spending for most domestic agencies.
If an agency wants to propose to increase funding above the levels set, "it must be offset within your agency by proposing to decrease funding below that level in other accounts," the memo states.
Analysts said the result would be a continuation of Bush's fiscal 2005 blueprint, which called for an effective freeze in non-defense spending.
White House Memo Seeks 2006 Budget Tightening
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has told government agencies to brace for slower spending growth and outright budget cuts if President Bush (news - web sites) is re-elected, including in homeland security, education and other domestic programs touted by his campaign.
White House officials played down the proposed cutbacks, spelled out in budget documents and a May 19 memo, leaked on Thursday, setting out rough spending guidelines for federal agencies for the fiscal year 2006 budget.
"Decisions about total levels (of funding) as well as for specific program levels will not be made for months," said J.T. Young, spokesman for the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The proposed cutbacks opened Bush up to attack from Democratic presidential rival John Kerry (news - web sites)'s campaign. It released copies of the memo to the press and questioned Bush's election-year commitments to homeland security, health care and education.
"This secret memo goes to the heart of the White House's two-faced approach to governing," said Phil Singer, a Kerry campaign spokesman.
"President Bush goes around the country touting his commitment to education but then pursues plans to gut the funds for schools. He talks about homeland security, but then tries to slash the resources first responders need to protect us," Singer added.
But release of the memo could help Bush shore up support from fiscal conservatives. They have accused the Republican president of not proposing deep enough cuts to bring down this year's record federal budget deficit.
"It certainly can't hurt with fiscal conservatives," said Brian Riedl, a budget expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "At the same time, it is always important to see real spending cuts now as opposed to a promise of spending cuts later."
According to an analysis by Democrats, Homeland Security would face $1 billion in cuts starting in fiscal year 2006 under the White House plan. Its budget that year would be about $29.6 billion.
Veterans Affairs would be cut by $910 million in 2006 from $29.7 billion in 2005 while spending growth at the Education Department would slow.
WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS RECORD
White House officials disputed the figures, saying they are based on computer modeling that historically does not reflect the final outcome of internal budget deliberations. In fact, officials said, these types of "mechanical projections" are routinely off by 10 percent or more.
White House officials defended Bush's record, saying he has nearly tripled homeland security spending and has increased the total education budget by 36 percent from 2001.
"This memo is a process document only. It is a routine, normal part of the budget process," said Young. "It merely allows us to begin the process of putting together a budget... It is not a decision document."
"While we intend to hold the line on spending and cut the deficit in half over the next five years, it doesn't mean we can't adequately fund our priorities as is done in the president's current budget as well as in his past budgets," Young added.
According to the documents, Bush's 2006 budget would effectively freeze or cut spending for most domestic agencies.
If an agency wants to propose to increase funding above the levels set, "it must be offset within your agency by proposing to decrease funding below that level in other accounts," the memo states.
Analysts said the result would be a continuation of Bush's fiscal 2005 blueprint, which called for an effective freeze in non-defense spending.