Democrats Allow Trims to Favored Programs
Yea, because this makes sense. Let’s cut back on the same things that are going to propel society. Right.
After a bruising battle with Republicans over financing the government through the rest of the fiscal year, Democrats spoke proudly of their success in staving off painful cuts to programs near and dear to them, ones that became the centerpiece of their fight against huge cuts sought by Republicans.
But as some details of the plan to cut roughly $38 billion in federal spending came trickling out Monday, it was clear that many of those programs, while cut nowhere near as much as Republicans had hoped, were significantly nibbled at.
The spending bill would maintain the maximum Pell grant award for low-income students at $5,550. But it would end a new Pell grant program for summer school students, saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
President Obama successfully resisted Republican efforts to take all federal money from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. But the spending bill cuts money for the program that finances many family-planning services provided by Planned Parenthood and other organizations, Title X of the Public Health Service Act. The appropriation would be reduced to $300 million, from $317 million, Congressional aides said.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which has been in the cross hairs of the newly empowered House Republicans, took one of the largest hits, according the House appropriations documents.
The agency’s budget under the agreement is reduced by $1.6 billion, or 16 percent from last year’s level. Specifically, funding levels for Land and Water Conservation Fund programs were reduced 33 percent.
Across all agencies, the bill would cut programs relating to climate change by $49 million, or 13 percent.
Democrats were also concerned about the level of funding for food safety, after a series of food contamination incidents that killed or injured scores of Americans. Under the new bill, food safety and inspection will be funded at $1 billion, or $10 million below the fiscal year 2010 level.
One of President Obama’s signature transportation programs — high-speed rail — took an even bigger-than-expected cut when the fine print of the budget deal was released early Tuesday morning.
Read More: http://goo.gl/UMlhl
(NYT)
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