"Emergency" Supplemental Appropriations for FY 2007 (see the numbers - GAG Alert)

Republican Study Committee ^ | Rep. Jeb Hensling (R-TX)

[mukraker]

Appropriations Policy Brief
H.R. XX — Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for FY 2007

Global War on Terror Funding (Title I):

In millions

Department of Defense	Request	House
Military Personnel	12,145	13,566
Operations & Maintenance	50,316	52,499
Afghanistan Security Fund	5,906	5,906
Iraq Security Fund	3,842	3,842
Iraq Freedom Fund	206	156
Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund	2,433	2,433
Strategic Reserve Readiness Fund	0	2,500
Procurement	24,900	24,814
R&D, Test & Evaluation	1,448	1,035
Defense Working Capital Fund	1,316	1,316
Drug Interdiction & Counter Drug Activities	259	259
Intelligence Community Management Account	67	57
Defense Health Program	1,073	2,790
National Defense Sealift Fund	5	5
Military Construction	1,854	4,916
DoD Base Closure Account	0	3,136

Department of Agriculture	Request	House
P.L. 480, Title II Grants	350	450
Department of Homeland Security
Departmental Management & Operations	0	35
Customs and Border Protection	0	100
Air & Marine Interdiction	0	150
Transportation Security Administration	0	1,250
Infrastructure Protection & Information Security	0	25
FEMA, Salaries & Expenses	0	25
FEMA, State and Local Programs	0	415
FEMA, Emergency Management Performance	0	100
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office	0	400
Department of Energy
Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation	63	150
Department of Justice
General Legal Activities, Salaries & Expenses	4	2
U.S. Attorneys, Salaries & Expenses	5	5
U.S. Marshals, Salaries & Expenses	15	3
National Security Division	2	2
FBI, Salaries & Expenses	118	118
Drug Enforcement Administration	8	8
Federal Prison  System	17	17
Legislative Branch
House of Representatives, Salaries & Expenses	0	6
Veterans Affairs
Disability Examinations Pilot Program	0	20
VA Health Administration	0	1,301
Departmental Administration	0	381
Department of State
Diplomatic and Consular Affairs	913	967
Inspector General	35	47
Education and Cultural Exchange Programs	20	20
International Peacekeeping Activities	200	288
International Broadcasting Operations	10	10
USAID	272	310
Economic Support Fund	3,025	2,953
Assistance for Eastern Europe	279	239
International Narcotics Control	260	335
Migration and Refugee Assistance	72	112
U.S. Emergency Refugee & Migration Assistance	30	35
Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, & Demining	28	88
Department of Treasury
International Affairs Technical Assistance	3	3
Funds Appropriated to the President
Foreign Military Financing Program	220	260
Peacekeeping Operations	278	225

Hurricane Relief (Title II): 

In millions

Department of Agriculture	Request	House
Livestock Assistance	0	25
Irrigated Crops	0	15
Citrus	0	100
Department of Commerce
NOAA, Operations, Research, & Facilities	0	120
NASA, Exploration Capabilities	0	35
Department of Defense
Army Corps of Engineers	0	1,337
Small Business Administration
Disaster Loan Program Account	0	25
Department of Homeland Security
FEMA, Disaster Relief Fund	3,400	4,310
Community Disaster Loan Program	0	320
Department of Education
Innovation and Improvement	0	30
Higher Education	0	30
Department of HUD
Inspector General	0	10

Agriculture Assistance (Title III): 

In millions

	Request	House
Crop Disaster Assistance	0	1,808
Livestock Compensation Program	0	1,480
Livestock Indemnity Payments	0	31
Spinach Assistance	0	25
Emergency Conservation Program	0	20
National Dairy Market Loss Payment Program	0	283
Peanut Storage Program	0	74
Aquaculture Assistance	0	5

Other Funding (Title IV): 

In millions

	Request	House
Farm Service Agency, USDA	0	48
NOAA, Commerce	0	60
Bureau of Land Management, Interior	0	100
Fish & Wildlife Services, Interior	0	7
National Park Service, Interior	0	1
U.S. Geological Survey, Interior	0	5
Forest Service, USDA	0	400
Secure Rural Schools, USDA	0	400
LIHEAP	0	400
Public Health & Social Services Fund (Avian Flu)	0	970
Architect of the Capitol	0	50

... and that's not all ... ( Click Here for complete analysis briefing)

[mukraker]

Pork pork and more pork - see the full briefing for analysis of the numbers and what programs got the pork. These figures were accurate as of March 16, 2007. Amendments may have changed the figures by the time the final bill was voted on Friday.

[Yo-Yo]

And I thought the Republicans were out of control with pork barrel spending. It is now clear that the DemocRATs haven't lost their touch at the trough.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Even the Military part, where they bragged about adding to Bush's request, is PORK. They added all the money to a "strategic readiness reserve" and military construction projects (probably in people's home districts).

They actually CUT Bush's request for the Iraq Freedom fund.

In fact, it's the only thing they cut. We should do something using that -- Democrats find billions in pork to buy votes, but cut spending for Iraq Freedom.

[mukraker]

One of the "smaller" (lean pork) items in this bill was a payment to the Widow of Rep. Norwood: Provides $165,200 to Gloria W. Norwood, the widow of former Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA), who passed away last month. In the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2005 (H.R. 1268), Congress provided $162,100 to Doris Matsui, the widow of former Rep. Robert Matsui.

[mukraker]

The Dems did also cut $86 million from the Procurement request.

[tcrlaf]

This is just freakin' INSANE, and our Media just blows it off???

Do these people hate Bush SO MUCH, that they are willing to let us be butchered like sheep???

[untrained skeptic]

And I thought the Republicans were out of control with pork barrel spending.

They were, but when it comes to pork and bloated government, the RINOs are amateurs compared to the liberal Dems that are not in power in Congress.

[marsh2]

Here's my take on the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act. If it does not come through in some form, we will be looking at drastic cuts that could close libraries, cut sheriff services and mean that only county roads that carry school buses wil be snow plowed.:

The news has been filled with the budget woes of southern Oregon counties and the cuts in services that County Commissioners have made. The budget crisis is an outcome of Congress’ failure to reauthorize the Secure Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act (SSCSDA,) which terminated in 2006. Siskiyou County is also experiencing the same loss in revenue. Basically, we are now facing a $4 million drop in our Road Department budget for fiscal year 2007-08, which is approximately one half of that department’s revenue. Like the Oregon counties, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors must decide how to adjust to this loss.

Back in the early 1900s, the federal government removed large forested areas in the West from private settlement and development under the homestead laws. These became our National Forests. The stated purposes of the Forests were to (1) ensure "a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of United States citizens"; and (2) to secure favorable conditions of water flows. It was established that the economic well-being of the citizens of a state wherein timber is located was to be considered in administering the National Forests.

These land set-asides created many small communities that are entirely land-locked by National Forests. This: (1) limits Forest-dependent communities from growth and the creation of a local self-sustaining tax base; (2) requires visitor services for which the federal government pays little, if any, taxes; and (3) removes resources from economic development under a private free-market economy. (About 63% of Siskiyou County is currently government “owned” land.) To compensate, a system was devised by Congress to allocate 25% of the net revenue from products sold off the Forests to the County for schools and roads. For instance, in 1989/90, Siskiyou County government received $4.2 million in these revenues – primarily from timber harvest.

When the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP - northern spotted owl plan) was put into place, restrictions on harvest were imposed. According to its Land and Resource Management Plan, the targeted Allowable Sales Quantity (ASQ) for timber production on the Klamath National Forest under the NWFP is supposed to be 440 MMBF (million board feet.) over a 10 year period - or approximately 44 MMBF a year. This harvest target was to consist of commercial species of trees at least 13 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) and 50 feet tall. (The Klamath actually grows about 654 MMBF a year.) Due to environmental appeals and suits, the increased costs of additional “Survey and Manage” requirements and the loss of personnel capacity, the Klamath has been harvesting only about 14-15 MMB a year.

Recognizing this shortfall, Congress passed the SSCSDA providing payments to the counties based on past average pre-spotted owl timber receipts. This was to bridge the ramp-up time until the Allowable Sale Quantity production was in place. (Thanks to extreme environmental pressures, these promised harvest levels never materialized.) In 2003-04, Siskiyou County received a total of $9,106,000 in revenues from this act. About $3,870,000 went to county schools and an equal amount to county roads. Approximately $686,500 went to the Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) and another $686,500 to offset impacts of County services for search and rescue, fire and other departmental expenses related to the National Forest.
Now that the Act has sunsetted, payments revert to the old 25% formula. The severe reduction in harvest, along with the new Stewardship Contracts which pass nothing through to the Counties, means that we are receiving $250,000 rather than $4 million.

Rural Forest Counties and schools have been working with Congress to get a reauthorization of the SSCSDA legislation. However, many in Congress now view these payments as “pork” or “County welfare.” The urban public no longer appreciates the burden of federal lands on county services, not to mention the costs to local economies of extreme preservationist policies on the productive use of forest resources.

[mukraker]

While all these programs might be worthwhile, the funding for them does NOT belong in an EMERGENCY supplemental designed to provide funding for the military. These programs should be debated and voted on in a seperate piece of legislation.

Personally, I'm tired of seeing these huge omnibus bills every year. Let each proposal stand alone, as it's own clean bill, to be debated individually, not as a take it or leave it bill that has something in it for everyone. That's just a sign of a lazy Congress, unwilling to debate the merits of all these eternal programs.

The other dirty little secret no one is reporting is that as an emergency supplemental, these funds do not count against the budget deficit, as they are off-budget. The money doesn't count when it comes time to account for the federal budget.