Federal Budget: Billions for Iraq-- How much to end poverty? 6/20/08

June 20, 2008

 

Dear Friends,

Don't be fooled by the seemingly repetitive news cycle - there is action in DC. Today, we at FCNL bring you news of an exciting new campaign to end poverty, a compromise in Congress on the supplemental war funding bill, and the start of the budget appropriations process for fiscal year 2009.

Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity

In May, former presidential candidate John Edwards announced that he would serve as National Chair of Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity, a new campaign to cut poverty in the United States by 50 percent over the next 10 years.

"The campaign has picked a set of policy solutions that are targeted, achievable, and effective. Working with advocates across the country, we will cut poverty in half," said Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs. Working from the recommendations of the Center for American Progress's 2007 Poverty Task Force report, the first years of the campaign will focus on

    o expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit,
    o raising both state and federal minimum wages,
    o increasing the number of low-income families receiving child care assistance, and
    o increasing eligibility for unemployment insurance.

This campaign brings together four major organizations with the experience, knowledge, and resources to make this goal a reality: ACORN, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the Coalition on Human Needs, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. FCNL is a member of the latter two and will be supporting the goals of the campaign. Be sure to check out the Half in Ten website.

Supplemental War Funding Bill

This week, the House passed a bipartisan supplemental war funding bill that allocates $161.8 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including about $70 billion in "bridge funding" for 2009. The House approved the new war spending without a withdrawal deadline or restrictions on future defense agreements between the United States and Iraq. The bill did, however, include a prohibition on permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.

If the Senate agrees with this new war spending, the United States will have invested $864 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by the summer of 2009.

FCNL is opposed to any new funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the war supplemental does include some provisions that FCNL supports, including

    o a significant new education benefit for veterans of the current wars,
    o extended jobless benefits for 13 weeks in all states,
    o about $2.5 billion to deal with the flooding in the Midwest,
    o additional funding for the continuing recovery in Louisiana from Hurricane Katrina,
    o support for increased U.S. civilian capacity to respond to deadly conflicts,
    o payment of UN peacekeeping obligations, and
    o additional funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In addition, the bill blocks a series of new administration rules that would cut deeply into Medicaid health services for the poor. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week. If the Senate passes this bill, it will go to President Bush to sign.

The Appropriations Process Begins

Now that Congress has passed the budget resolution, the budget appropriations process officially begins. The first step in this process requires the House and Senate appropriations committees to divide the federal budget into different allocations for each appropriations subcommittee; these are called the 302b allocations.

Last week, the House appropriations committee announced 302b allocations for its subcommittees that include less money for the military and more money for domestic human needs than President Bush requested. Specifically, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense was allocated $487.7 billion, about $4 billion less than the Bush administration's request, and the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, received $153 billion, a nearly $7.8 billion increase over the president's request. Senator Robert Byrd (WV), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the Senate 302b allocations today; they are similar to the House allocations.

Take Action: This year, most appropriations bills will not go to the floor for final votes. The committees will do their work, and the results will be reflected in a continuing resolution or omnibus bill to carry over into the new year. Even so, it is important to work with members of appropriations committees at this time to strengthen funding for good programs, so that the committees' decisions will form a strong foundation for the carryover funding and for next year's work. Find out how to make your voice heard in the appropriations process and read more about how the process works.