Re: ADV-BUDGET ANALYSIS, Bush 2008 budget to brutalize humanity

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php...federal_budget

On February 5, 2007, President George W. Bush submitted (as is customary for a
president to do so) a budget request to the U.S. Congress for fiscal year (FY)
2008. It would amount to $2.9 trillion in federal spending and, generally, hold
domestic spending levels at FY 2007 levels while devoting additional resources
to national and homeland security and international affairs.[1] Soon after, the
House and Senate began work on the budget.

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The 2008 federal fiscal year began on October 1, 2007. To keep the government
running, Congress passed a continuing resolution at the end of September 2007
that funds the government until November 16, 2007.

Additionally, one Fiscal Year 2007 supplemental bill was passed in 2007 that
added funds for the Iraq War and Afghanistan to the FY 2007 budget. President
Bush and Congress have passed these "emergency" supplemental appropriations
since the beginning of the War on Terror, which has the effect of keeping the
cost of the War out of the federal budget totals.

There are twelve main appropriations bills that fund the federal government.
They are debated and passed under the terms of the FY 2008 budget resolutions
passed in May 2007. Of the twelve bills, one has passed both chambers of
Congress. (See main chart below.)
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May 2007: House and Senate Democrats agree on outlines of budget
On May 16, 2007, House and Senate Democrats announced an agreement on a final
$2.9 trillion FY 2008 resolution that would include $21 billion more for
domestic discretionary spending than President Bush had requested.[4]

House Budget Committee Chair John Spratt (D-S.C.) said, "Within this framework,
our budget does more for veterans' health care, more for education and more for
children's health care."[5]

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman declared that
Bush would veto any FY 2008 appropriations bills that exceeded his budget
request.[6]

[edit]October 2007: Democrats debate spending package
With President Bush threatening a veto of several appropriations bills,
Democrats in the House and Senate announced plans to combine the legislation
into one spending package, tying funding for education, job training and other
social services with money for defense and veterans. Meanwhile, Republicans
criticized the strategy, saying the Democrats were holding funding for defense
and veterans hostage to pay for pork. [7]

[edit]SCHIP, Medicare other health care spending
[edit]House
On March 29, 2007, the House voted 216-210 to approve a FY 2008 budget
resolution that would require Congress to offset increased funds for Medicare,
SCHIP and other health care programs with tax increases or spending reductions.
The House budget resolution exceeded the amount Bush requested for discretionary
spending by more than $24 billion.[8]




[edit]Senate
On March 23, 2007, the Senate voted 52-47 to approve a $2.9 trillion FY 2008
budget resolution that included funding for an expansion of SCHIP (State
Children's Health Insurance Program), as well as billions of dollars in
additional funds for health care for veterans and other domestic programs. In
total, it included about $18 billion more for domestic discretionary spending
than President Bush had requested (including $3.5 billion more for health care
for veterans). In addition, the Senate budget resolution included 25 "reserve
funds" to provide additional spending for health care and other domestic
programs, provided that the costs are offset by spending reductions in other
areas or new revenue. [9]