Posted on 02/05/2006 8:29:44 PM PST by ncountylee
WASHINGTON - President Bush plans to propose a $2.7 trillion budget Monday that would shrink most parts of the government unrelated to national security while slowing spending on Medicare by $36 billion during the next five years, according to White House documents.
The budget that Bush is to recommend to Congress will call for eliminating or reducing 141 programs, for a savings of $14.5 billion, across a broad swath of federal agencies, according to administration and congressional officials who have had access to budget documents. Wide-ranging as they are, those cuts pale in comparison with the White House's attempt to carve money from Medicare, the first tangible result from a vow the president made in his State of the Union address last week to constrain the massive entitlement programs for the elderly and poor.
Spending for the departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and Interior would be flat or decrease.
In contrast, the president plans to recommend for the Department of Homeland Security an increase of at least 5 percent from this year's funding, $30.8 billion. The White House is also trying again to increase passengers' security fees for air travel from $2.50 per flight to $5, a proposal that Congress swiftly rejected last year.
Similarly, the budget will suggest a hike of nearly 5 percent in the Pentagon's funding for next year, defense officials said.
The $439.3 billion includes $84.2 billion for weapons systems, an 8 percent increase in weapons spending.
The effort to curb Medicare spending by $36 billion by 2011 and by $105 billion a decade from now is a sharp turnabout for the administration. Last year, Bush said the health-insurance program that covers 41 million elderly and disabled people should be spared any cuts.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
OH yeah baby, he's a conservative now!
Too little...too late.
< /sarcasm >
Just posting the obvious cracks that the Bush-haters always make...
GOOD
Thank God.
Kanye West could not be reached for comment (pronunciation problem).
Whatever happened to the idiot plan to give all seniors free medicines?
Thank you for story and more thanks for linking to the printer friendly URL.
Atta boy Mr. President.
A 'cut' of 1/2 of 1 percent. That's telling 'em!!
14.5 billion is virtually nothing. I'll take note when it's several hundred billion.
Let's not forget that BATFE is now part of Homeland Security, so it's budget might very well go up. I'd like to see its budget slashed to nearly nothing ... How much budget do they need to enforce only "real" crimes and not paper violations?
"President Bush plans to propose a $2.7 trillion budget"
And the U.S. doesn't currently take in 2.7 trillion in taxes annually. More deficits and debts for our children to pay.
A 7% cut in all non-defense spending like Herman Cain campaigned here in Georgia on would be nice.
Defund PBS,defund the environmental groups, defund the ACLU.
141 programs down, 141,000 to go.
And whaddya bet congress won't even allow that much?
Other than that, Bush should propose cutting Pat Buchanan.
"Just posting the obvious cracks that the Bush-haters always make..."
So pointing out the obvious, that Bush is no fiscal conservative, means you're a "Bush-hater"? What kind of rubbish is that?
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