Source: www.whitehouse.gov
President Bush is surrounded by members of Congress as he prepares to sign the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006.

Bush releases his spending plan to the public

Taney Kurth KUR04001@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

The White House released President Bush’s outline of his federal spending plan for 2006, Feb. 6. Among his top priorities were “winning the war on terror and protecting the homeland,” Bush said in a radio address.

Bush cited a 7 percent increase in foreign military spending this year, which will go to funding equipment, ammunition and troop housing.

The department with the highest budget in Bush’s plan is the Department of Homeland Security, with $40.2 billion to spend on federal antiterrorism policies. The spending limit is a 10 percent increase for the year-old department.

According to the New York Times, a large portion of the department’s budget will go to funding Project Biosphere, a federal program intended for stockpiling vaccines and antidotes to counter possible biological terrorist attacks. The program will receive $2.5 billion this year alone.

The spending plan is drawing large amounts of criticism from Capitol Hill.

“The good news is that the president finally wants to send money to where the threat is. The bad news is that he proposes to cut overall funding for first responders,” said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y.

Bush’s federal budget plan calls for an $800 million cut to antiterrorism grants for state and local governments. The cut would particularly affect local first responders such as police officers and fire fighters.

Bush proposes to raise the FBI’s total budget by 11 percent, including a $357 million hike in counterterrorism activities.

The President also mentioned his No Child Left Behind Act, stating that public schools will receive 49 percent more federal spending than in 2001.

Bush plans to set up early reading programs for low-income schools, as well as improve Pell Grants for students who complete a “rigorous curriculum.”

President Bush asked for congressional help with his Jobs for the 21st Century initiative, which was established to help young people and adults “gain the skills they need to fill the new jobs in our changing economy.”

With the proper support, Bush hopes to provide better training for teachers and professors through this initiative.

In closing, Bush cited government’s most basic responsibilities: “protecting its citizens from harm and promoting prosperity and compassion at home”

“My spending budget is designed to meet these goals, using tax dollars wisely and by focusing resources where they are most needed,” Bush said.