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Presidency of George W. Bush -- the first 36 months
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Posted on 01/25/2004 9:46:14 AM PST by harpu
WASHINGTON - President Bush spelled out his 2004 agenda for Congress and the nation Tuesday night, but there already was plenty on his to-do list remaining from the 2000 election.
A Knight Ridder analysis shows that Bush has fulfilled about 46 percent of the promises he made during the 2000 campaign, leaving a lot of work in the last year of what he hopes is only his first term.
Bush has had some big wins. He pushed two big tax cuts through Congress, added prescription drug coverage to Medicare and won passage of his plan to overhaul education.
He's also had some big setbacks. Congress rebuffed many of his ideas for forging closer cooperation between the government and faith-based charities, a proposal he repeated in the State of the Union address.
Bush's energy policy is caught in a tug of war between the House of Representatives and the Senate. In fact, Congress has killed or stalled at least 25 percent of Bush's commitments, despite being controlled for much of the time by his own Republican Party.
The president's plans to overhaul Social Security and revamp the nation's legal system are on hold in the face of congressional opposition. Administration officials say Bush remains committed to both, although no action is likely in this presidential election year.
In rare cases, Bush openly abandoned campaign commitments, such as his pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by electric utilities. On other issues -- the line-item veto, for example -- he proposed an idea to Congress but spent little time on it.
Because of the give-and-take involved in the legislative process, it is sometimes impossible to tell whether Bush dropped the ball or Congress thwarted his will.
For this assessment, what matters is the outcome.
Despite his mixed record of success, Bush has at least tried to follow through on the vast majority of his commitments. Most have been presented to Congress as part of his annual budget or in the form of legislation.
Knight Ridder scores a promise as achieved only if it became a reality. Voters expect results. Promises made since Bush took the oath of office weren't included.
Of course, not all promises have equal weight, and much has changed since Bush became president.
He couldn't have foreseen the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or their aftermath. The wars on terrorism and Iraq put new strains on the federal budget, diverting money that might have been used to fulfill some of his campaign spending proposals.
Still, a promise is a promise (even when obstructed by Congressional demonRAT obstructionists!).
The Promises
Three years into his presidency, George W. Bush has fulfilled about 46 percent of his campaign 2000 promises -- and some of those unfulfilled have been blocked by Congress.
A "YES" means President Bush has fulfilled his campaign promise; a "NO" means he has not.
ABORTION
• Prohibit federal funds for international family planning groups that provide abortion-related services.
YES. By a directive issued Jan. 22, 2001.
• Sign legislation banning "partial-birth abortion."
YES. On Nov. 5, 2003.
AGRICULTURE
• Give more emergency aid to farmers to help them transition to a market regime.
YES. Included in 2001 farm bill.
• Reform the crop insurance program.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Establish tax-deferred Farm and Ranch Risk Management accounts that farmers and ranchers could draw from in hard times.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Reduce and ultimately eliminate the estate tax for family farms and ranches.
YES. Included in the 2001 tax bill.
• Fight Europe's ban on importing biotech crops from the United States.
YES. Bush has raised this issue with the European Union.
• Exempt food from unilateral trade sanctions and embargoes.
YES. New regulations permit food shipments to Cuba and other "rogue states."
• Admit China into the World Trade Organization and continue working to open key export markets to U.S. goods.
YES. China joined the WTO in 2001.
BUDGET
• Reserve half of the budget surplus to strengthen Social Security by establishing personal retirement accounts.
NO. The surplus disappeared under pressure of war, recession and tax cuts, and Bush has not yet pushed his Social Security plan before Congress. • Pay down the national debt to the lowest level since the Great Depression as a percent of the gross domestic product.
NO. The budget surplus that Bush inherited has turned into an annual deficit, and the total federal debt has increased from $5.7 trillion in Sept. 2000 to $7 trillion this month. The debt is 65 percent of the gross domestic product now, up from 57.6 percent when he took office.
• Return one-fourth of the budget surplus through broad-based tax cuts.
YES. Bush met his target of a $1.35 trillion, 10-year tax cut
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
• Prohibit unions and corporations from giving "soft money" to political parties. YES. Part of the campaign finance bill that Bush signed March 27, 2002.
• Give workers the right to block the use of their union dues for political activities.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Raise the limit on individual contributions by adjusting it for inflation.
YES.
• Require timely disclosure of contributions on the Internet.
YES. The Federal Election Commission is working on details.
• Prevent incumbents from transferring excess funds from a previous federal campaign to a subsequent campaign for a different office.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Prohibit federally registered lobbyists from contributing to members of Congress while Congress is in session.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
CHARITY
• Establish an Office of Faith-Based Organizations in the White House to make it easier for such organizations to participate in government programs.
YES. By executive order in 2001.
• Limit the civil liability of businesses that donate equipment, facilities, vehicles or aircraft to charitable organizations to protect them from lawsuits if the donated items turn out to be defective.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
CHILDREN
• Provide states with an additional $1 billion over five years to help prevent cases of child abuse or neglect.
NO. Congress cut Bush's request in half.
• Require states to conduct criminal background checks on prospective foster and adoptive parents.
YES. Signed June 25, 2003.
• Provide $300 million over five years for college or vocational education vouchers of up to $5,000 for youths who reach college age in foster care.
NO. Congress cut Bush's funding requests.
• Set a goal to return children in foster care to their stable biological family or, with a judge's ruling, to adoption.
NO.
• Help states establish paternity registries.
NO. Still working on legislation.
• Provide $200 million in competitive grants over five years to promote responsible fatherhood.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
CONGRESS
• Adopt two-year budgets.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Require a joint budget resolution to promote early agreement on an overall framework, which the president must sign.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Enact legislation to prevent government shutdowns if funding is not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year.
NO
• Support a bipartisan commission to eliminate pork-barrel spending.
NO.
• Seek legislation to amend the Constitution to give the president line-item veto authority.
YES. Although Bush has not made it a top priority and Congress has not acted.
• Ask Congress to act on presidential nominees within 60 days of submission of their names.
YES. Bush has repeatedly prodded Congress to act.
COURTS
• Impose stiffer penalties for frivolous lawsuits. Lawyers who file lawsuits as a form of harassment would have to pay the other side's expenses and could face other sanctions.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Amend federal discovery rules to limit inquiry to issues in dispute to prevent legal "fishing expeditions."
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Raise the federal standard for admission of scientific testimony by requiring that the witnesses' findings be "generally accepted" by the scientific community.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Eliminate the private use of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for civil suits. Lawyers have used the law to seek bigger judgments by accusing companies of "racketeering."
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Take steps to make sure that national class-action lawsuits are heard in a federal court to prevent lawyers from shopping for friendly state judges.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Establish a "Client's Bill of Rights" to allow federal courts to hear challenges to attorneys' fees. Bush contends that clients who have been overcharged currently have very little recourse.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Require lawyers to disclose their fee ranges so potential clients will have more information before hiring an attorney.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Encourage reasonable settlements by making those who reject pretrial settlement offers and lose the case pay the other party's costs.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Require private lawyers who represent states and municipalities to return excessive fees to their governmental clients.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
• Prohibit federal agencies from paying contingency fees to private lawyers. Lawyers would be hired on an hourly rate.
NO. Postponed action in the face of congressional opposition.
CRIME
• Increase prosecutions under federal gun laws.
YES.
• Increase funding for state gun-law enforcement.
YES. New $50 billion program signed into law in 2001.
• Impose a lifetime ban on gun possession for juvenile weapons offenders.
NO.
• Establish Project Sentry, a federal-state program to prosecute juvenile weapons violations.
YES.
• Practice zero tolerance for terrorism.
YES. Launched war on terrorism.
DEFENSE
• Prohibit putting U.S. troops under U.N. command.
YES.
• Pay U.N. dues in return for reforms and reduction of U.S. share of the costs.
YES.
• Increase military pay by $1 billion a year.
YES. Signed into law Jan. 10, 2002.
• Deploy national and theater ballistic missile defense as soon as possible.
YES. Bush has ordered deployment in 2004.
• Reduce the number of American nuclear weapons.
YES. The 2001 Treaty of Moscow promised to scrap about two-thirds of the U.S. nuclear arsenal over 10 years.
• Earmark at least 20 percent of the procurement budget for next-generation weaponry.
YES.
• Increase defense research and development spending by at least $20 billion from fiscal 2002 to 2006.
YES. Funding levels are consistent with the goal.
• Order comprehensive review of military weapons and strategy.
YES. Although it came in the form of a series of reviews.
• Order "immediate review" of overseas deployments.
YES.
• Renovate military housing.
YES. The military has already upgraded about 10 percent of its inventory and expects to modernize 76,000 additional homes this year.
DISABILITIES
• Triple the federal Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers' budget for technologies to assist the disabled.
NO. Congressional unding has fallen short of the goal.
• Create a new fund to encourage technologies that help the disabled.
YES. Funded at $5 million.
• Provide $20 million to states to help people with disabilities work from home.
YES. Signed into law in 2001.
• Provide $45 million for pilot transportation programs.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Provide $5 million to help small businesses comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Establish a $100 million matching-grant program for community-based transportation alternatives.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Issue an executive order implementing the Supreme Court's Olmstead ruling, which requires moving disabled people from institutions to community-based facilities when possible.
YES. In 2001.
• Increase funding for low-interest loan programs to help people with disabilities purchase devices to assist them.
YES.
• Increase funding for special education to meet the federal obligation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
NO. Congressional funding has fallen short of the goal.
• Create a national commission to recommend reforms of the mental health service delivery system.
YES. The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health delivered its recommendations to Bush on July 22, 2003.
• Make it easier for disabled people to vote.
YES. Legislation signed Oct. 29, 2002, requires states to make polling places more accessible.
• Provide $10 million in matching funds annually to increase access for people with disabilities to organizations exempt from Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, such as churches, mosques, synagogues and civic organizations.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Revise the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 rent subsidies to disabled people to permit them to use up to a year's worth of vouchers to finance down payments on homes.
YES. HUD has started pilot programs in 11 states.
EDUCATION
• Provide vouchers (cash subsidies) to low-income students in persistently failing schools to help with costs of attending private schools.
NO. Blocked in Congress. A pilot program for Washington awaits Senate action.
• Increase maximum Pell grant (a need-based college scholarship) from $3,300 to $5,100 for first-year students.
NO. The maximum increased to $4,000 in 2002 and Bush has not requested any additional increase.
• Provide $1,000 Pell grant bonus to low-income students who take advanced math and science courses.
NO.
• Establish a $1 billion math and science partnership program.
YES. Bush is working toward his five-year funding goal.
• Establish a $3 billion Education Technology Fund.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Increase federal funding for minority colleges and universities by $437 million over five years.
NO. Congressional funding has fallen behind the goal.
• Focus Head Start program on reading and place it under the Education Department.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Launch a $5 billion five-year Reading First program to ensure that every disadvantaged child reads by the third grade.
YES.
• Combine more than 60 federal programs into five flexible categories.
NO. The education bill provides more flexibility but retained 45 separate programs.
• Require annual reading and math tests in grades three through eight.
YES.
• Require states to participate in the National Assessment of Education Progress, or an equivalent program, to establish a national benchmark for academic performance.
YES.
• Establish a $500 million fund to reward states and schools that improve student performance.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Provide $181 million over five years to expand the use of bonds for public school construction.
NO.
• Provide school-by-school accountability report cards.
YES. School districts are taking steps to meet the requirement.
• Establish 2,000 new charter schools -- double the current number -- within two years by providing $3 billion in loan guarantees.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Provide $1.5 billion to help states pay for merit scholarships.
NO.
• Establish a $2.4 billion fund to help states enact teacher-accountability systems.
YES.
• Expand forgiveness of outstanding school loans from $5,000 to $17,500 for certain math and science teachers.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Increase funding for the Troops-to-Teachers program to $30 million to recruit former military personnel to the classrooms.
YES.
• Let teachers deduct from their taxable income up to $400 in out-of-pocket classroom expenses.
NO. A temporary measure that allowed teachers to deduct $250 for out-of-pocket classroom expenses was enacted in 2001 and expired Dec. 31, 2003.
• Establish a uniform reporting system to monitor school safety.
YES.
• Require districts to let students transfer out of dangerous schools.
YES.
• Change federal law so public school districts and local law enforcement can share information.
NO.
• Require schools to have a zero-tolerance policy for classroom disruption.
YES.
• Enact a Teacher Protection Act to protect teachers from discipline-related lawsuits.
YES.
• Triple funding for classroom education to improve character.
YES.
• Establish American Youth Character Awards to honor students' acts of character.
NO.
• Expand the role of faith-based and community organizations in after-school programs.
YES. Signed into law in 2001.
• Provide vouchers to lower-income students for after-school activities.
YES.
• Immediately eliminate an $802 million backlog of school repairs on tribal lands.
NO. Congressional funding levels fell far short of that goal.
• Provide $126 million to replace six American Indian schools.
YES.
ENERGY
• Earmark a portion of federal oil and gas royalty payments for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program when energy prices increase.
NO.
• Double funding for weatherization programs by adding $1.4 billion over 10 years.
YES. Funding on track.
• Require the Energy Department to notify Congress when the nation's fuel supplies are low.
YES.
• Establish an annual meeting of G-8 energy ministers or their equivalents to encourage international cooperation on energy.
YES.
• Open 8 percent of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- 1.5 million acres -- to oil exploration.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Support tax credits for electricity produced from renewable and alternative fuels at a cost of $1.4 billion over 10 years.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Establish a comprehensive federal policy for gas and oil pipeline transportation.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Provide $2 billion over 10 years for "clean coal" research.
YES. Funding is slightly below but consistent with the goal.
• Clarify tax issues related to purchasing nuclear power plants to relieve potential burden on purchasers.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Streamline the process for hydroelectric projects seeking government approval to remain in operation.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Require emission reductions by electric utilities for carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.
NO. Bush abandoned his commitment to regulate carbon dioxide in the face of intense industry opposition.
• Create a home heating oil reserve to protect against future shortages.
YES. The reserve was actually created during the Clinton administration, but Bush has funded it.
ENVIRONMENT
• Convert the $35 million "brownfields" (contaminated properties) cleanup loan fund into a block grant program.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Make permanent the cleanup tax incentive, scheduled to expire at the end of 2001.
NO. Congress has passed a series of annual extensions.
• Require all federal facilities to meet all environmental standards.
NO. The administration has repeatedly sought exemptions for defense facilities.
• Fully fund the $900 million Land and Water Conservation Fund.
NO. Blocked in Congress.
• Provide matching grants for state programs that help private landowners protect rare species.
YES.
• Establish a $10 million grant program to promote private conservation initiatives.
YES.
• Establish the President's Award for Private Stewardship and give up to 50 awards annually.
NO.
• Offer capital-gains tax relief for land sold for conservation purposes.
NO. Stalled in Congress.
FOREIGN POLICY
• Substantially increase financial assistance to help Russia dismantle nuclear weapons.
NO.
• Support a moratorium on nuclear testing.
NO. Because the Pentagon is developing weapons that may soon require testing.
• Improve relations with India.
YES. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee committed to a "strategic partnership" in 2001.
GOVERNMENT
• Shrink the federal government by not replacing 40,000 senior and middle managers who will retire during the next eight years.
NO. That goal has been abandoned, but each agency was ordered to draft a five-year plan to restructure itself, with fewer managers.
• Create a governmentwide chief information officer to coordinate Internet services.
YES. Appointed April 16, 2003.
• Establish a $100 million fund to support interagency e-government initiatives.
NO.
• Establish a bipartisan "sunset review board" to recommend elimination of unnecessary programs.
NO.
• Convert federal service contracts to performance-based contracts wherever possible so that the contractor has measurable performance goals.
YES
• Establish performance-based incentives for the civil service.
NO. This is under study.
• Move all significant government procurement to the Internet.
NO. In work, but still in the early stages.
HEALTH CARE
• Enact a "patients' bill of rights."
NO. Stalled in Congress.
• Provide a 100 percent tax deduction for long-term-care insurance premiums.
NO.
• Provide an additional $2,750 personal tax exemption to the caregiver for each elderly family member who has home care.
NO.
• Provide a tax credit of up to $2,000 a year for health insurance for families that make less than $30,000 a year.
NO.
• Increase the budget for Community and Migrant Health Centers by $3.6 billion over five years.
NO. Funding has increased, but not at that level.
• Strengthen the National Health Service Corps to put more physicians in the neediest areas, and make its scholarship funds tax-free.
YES.
• Establish the Healthy Communities Innovation Fund, to provide $500 million in grants over five years to target specific health risks, such as childhood diabetes.
NO.
• Double the research budget of the National Institutes of Health.
YES.
IMMIGRATION
• Establish a six-month deadline for processing immigration applications.
YES. With goal of full implementation by 2005.
• Split the Immigration and Naturalization Service into two agencies: one to protect the border and interior, the other to deal with naturalization.
YES. Both of the new agencies are within the Homeland Security Department.
• Provide an additional $500 million over five years to improve immigration services.
YES. First installment of $100 million signed into law on Nov. 28, 2003.
• Encourage family reunification by allowing spouses and minors of legal permanent residents to apply for visitor visas while their immigration applications are pending.
NO.
MEDICARE
• Guarantee that all senior citizens are entitled to keep the current benefits if they choose, instead of selecting alternatives offered as part of any reforms.
YES. Included in the Medicare bill that Bush signed on Dec. 8, 2003.
• Give seniors the option of selecting plans that better fit their health care needs.
YES.
• Cover the full cost of health insurance coverage, including prescription drug coverage, for seniors with incomes at or below 135 percent of the poverty level. Cover some of the cost for seniors with incomes up to 175 percent of poverty.
YES.
• Pay at least 25 percent of premiums for prescription drug coverage for all seniors.
NO. There is a gap in coverage for costs between $2,220 and $5,100.
• Cover all catastrophic Medicare expenses in excess of $6,000 annually for all seniors.
NO. The law lowered the threshold to $5,100 but covers only 95 percent of expenses over that amount.
• Establish a $48 billion, four-year program to help states cover prescription drug costs for seniors until Medicare is overhauled.
NO. Abandoned in the face of congressional opposition.
POVERTY
• Establish Individual Development Accounts for low-income Americans. Give banks tax credits for matching up to $300 in deposits by low-income customers.
NO.
• Establish the American Dream Down Payment Fund to give low-income families up to $1,500 in matching funds toward down payments for homes.
YES. Signed Dec. 16, 2003.
SOCIAL SECURITY
• Reserve half of the projected surplus for strengthening Social Security.
NO. Abandoned in the face of congressional opposition.
It remains a goal.
• Guarantee current benefits for seniors at or near retirement.
NO. Abandoned in the face of congressional opposition.
It remains a goal.
• No increase in payroll taxes.
YES.
• Give workers the option of investing in private retirement accounts.
NO. Abandoned in the face of congressional opposition.
It remains a goal.
• Wall off the Social Security surplus from the rest of the budget by legislation.
NO. Bush has not pushed for it.
TAX CUTS
• Cut current income tax rates.
YES.
• Change income tax from a five-rate to a four-rate structure: 10, 15, 25 and 33 percent.
YES & NO. Congress lowered the rates but rejected Bush's rate structure.
• Double the child tax credit to $1,000.
YES.
• Reduce the "marriage penalty" by restoring the 10 percent deduction for two-earner families.
YES.
• Expand the child tax credit for married and single parents so higher-income families can take advantage of it.
NO.
• Increase the annual contribution limit on education savings accounts, or Education IRAs, from $500 to $5,000 per child.
YES & NO. Congress increased the limit to $2,000.
• Grant a deduction for charitable contributions to taxpayers who do not itemize.
NO. /Stalled in congressfont>
• Extend the new charitable tax credit to corporations by making them eligible for a credit of 50 percent of the first $1,000 donated to charities fighting poverty.
NO. Stalled in congress
• Make permanent the $5,000 adoption tax credit and provide $1 billion over five years to increase the credit to $7,500.
YES. Credit increased to $10,000.
• Permit families to make charitable contributions from IRAs without being taxed on the withdrawal.
NO. Stalled in congress.
• Raise the cap on corporate charitable deductions.
NO. Stalled in congress.
• Eliminate the estate tax.
YES. Will phase out and disappear in 2010 but will return a year later unless Congress makes the elimination permanent.
• Grant a complete tax exemption for prepaid or college tuition savings plans.
YES.
TECHNOLOGY
• Allow a dramatic increase in the number of H-1B visas for temporary high-skilled workers.
YES. The annual cap increased from 115,000 to 195,000 after Bush took office but dropped this year to 66,000. Demand for visas has fallen off with downturn in the technology sector.
• Permanently extend the tax credit for research and development.
NO. Blocked by congress.
• Continue the Internet tax moratorium for at least five years.
NO.
• Establish a President's Technology Export Council to oversee high-tech exports.
NO. /Stalled in congress.
• Establish more than 2,000 community technology centers providing free Internet access, computer literacy training and professional skills development.
NO. Blocked by congress.
TEEN PREGNANCY
• Provide at least $135 million for abstinence education, equal to the amount for teen contraceptive programs.
NO. Funding reduced by congress.
• Direct the General Accounting Office to study the effectiveness of pregnancy prevention programs.
YES. But the study was conducted by Health and Human Services, not GAO.
TRADE
• Restore presidential authority to speed trade treaties through Congress.
YES. Signed into law Aug. 6, 2002
• Tighten restrictions on military-technology exports and ease them on exports of civilian technologies.
NO. Blocked by congress.
Looking at this another way.by NOT weighting it, the press has made a point without being conscious of it. Look at most of the proposals,programs and ideas stalled or destroyed with Congressional intransigence.
No, not everything I'd desire has been accomplished, but it is a darn site better than what an Algore misadministration would have done. Did you all note the numbers of items he is blocked on but not dropped? The article also does admit the 9/11 factor and makes the case, obliquely, that there'd be much more done had it not transpired.
That said, I am irritated with the Illegals proposal. I do not think it is as clear as it could be and I think the President must clearly state ,and back up the statement, that it is NOT an amnesty program, or, if it is ,in fact one, clearly state that as well.Other than that,I think he has made monkeys out of the Dems , even when it appeared they were winning. But, then, that is but my opinion.
The Land and Water Consevation Fund has been fully funded in each year of Bush's administration, including the States' share.
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Presidency of George W. Bush -- the first 36 months
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If there's only one error, I guess the list ain't too bad after looking through all that pepper and finding only once piece of fly fecal matter.
I've noted your correction, and emailed the authors about their indeptness.
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