February 04, 2008

Bush To Send Congress Largest Budget In History

President Bush is expected to send the nation's first-ever $3 trillion budget request to Congress today for the 2009 fiscal year. Bush's proposal will project about $400 billion in budget deficits over the next two years, bolstered in part by the current economic slump and the stimulus package. But AP reports that, once again, the largest spending increases in the FY09 budget are in national security.

Despite the huge projected deficits, Bush's budget includes sizable cuts in domestic spending, particularly for government health care programs, state and local anti-terrorism grants and social service programs, according to the Washington Post. The plan is already drawing ire from Democratic lawmakers, who charge that Bush is directing cuts at programs that benefit the poor and middle-class families while protecting his tax cuts for the wealthy.

Meanwhile, the projected deficits do not even take into account funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. CongressDaily (subscription) reports this morning that Bush "is expected today to ask Congress for $70 billion to cover" the cost of the wars "for the first few months of FY09 -- a request that, if approved, could ultimately push the total amount of supplemental spending for military and civilian needs over the $1 trillion mark over the life of this administration."

The war-funding request coupled with the $3 trillion budget means the spending battles that ensnared Congress and the White House last year are likely to continue well into 2008.

AP has a breakdown of some elements in Bush's budget, and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (subscription) have more on the administration's proposed spending increases for military operations.

Posted at 9:13 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, President Bush
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