HOUSE ADOPTS PARED-DOWN LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION BILL
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June 27, 2005
The budget crunch in social services spending was on display for two days, as the House of Representatives debated and subsequently passed H.R. 3010, the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006.Â
The $142.5 billion measure, which was adopted by a vote of 250 to 151, calls for the termination of 57 programs, including health professions training, rural emergency medical services and a raft of school improvement programs; several more are flat-funded or reduced. All told, an estimated $2.8 billion would be cut from ongoing programs in an effort to trim back the federal budget deficit.
Action on the Labor-HHS-Education bill was part of a larger effort by the House to complete its work on all 11 appropriations bills before the July 4 recess. A Senate subcommittee is expected to take up the measure on July 12.
Technically, the reductions contained in the bill total about $163 million. But House appropriators included significant increases—most notably $890 million in start-up costs for the 2003 Medicare prescription drug law and $1 billion to raise the maximum Pell grant to $4,100—which had to come out of the hide of other domestic programs. The measure also includes $4.3 billion in mandatory funds to pay off the Pell Grant shortfall, as proposed by the president.
Perhaps reflecting the frustration several lawmakers felt with today's budget climate, House lawmakers rejected the Appropriations committee's recommendation to rescind $100 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. With support from 87 Republicans, the House voted 284 to 140 to restore the funds, following widespread protests by constituents. The legislation, however, would still eliminate funding for Ready to Learn, which supports children's educational programming, and the transition to digital television by public broadcasting stations.
Health and Human Services is hard-hit
HHS programs, representing the largest portion of the bill's discretionary budget, would be funded at about $63.2 billion, or $632 million below last year, slightly less than proposed by the president. Within that total, the National Institutes of Health would see less than a ½ percent increase over last year, the lowest growth in 36 years. At $28.5 billion, the House bill largely tracks the president's request.Â
All but $47 million spent training health professionals who practice in underserved communities would be eliminated, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be cut $295 million from last year. One of the few winners among public health programs are community health centers, which would receive a $100 million increase, bringing their total funding to $1.8 billion.
Core education programs spared
While a number of categorical programs came under fire, most of the Education Department's state grant programs were spared the budget axe. The House bill actually increased the agency's budget by $118 million over last year and $476 million over the president's request to $57.7 billion, marking a 50 percent increase over the last five years.
Special education grants would increase by about $150 million over last year, but are cut about $500 million from the president's request, to $10.7 billion. Title I grants for disadvantaged children are also trimmed by a half-billion from the White House request, but would receive a slight increase, about $100 million, over last year for a $12.7 billion total.
The House bill rejects proposed cuts to TRIO programs for disadvantaged students, restoring them to last year's level of $837 million, rejects proposed termination of the GEAR UP undergraduate counseling program, and continues increases for abstinence education and faith-based programs.