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Thursday, January 22, 2004
Congress’ 4-month budget delay
eaves several bills at a standstill
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By Jim Abrams
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
I WASHINGTON (AP) — This winter’s harsh flu outbreak is pass-
iilg without the $50 million lawmakers promised for expanding
fiture vaccine production. Millions of federal workers are seeing
slimmer than expected paychecks. Initiatives for fighting global
BlDS, wildfires and terrorism have been threatened.
I The reason: Congress is nearly four months late in finishing
the government’s budget.
I Most federal agencies are still operating at 2003 spending lev
els, depriving them of about $6 billion in increases slated under the
2004 spending plan. That's not a lot when $373 billion js at stake,
bi : it has put some projects on hold or in doubt.
I On the first day of the new congressional session Tuesday, the
St nate again failed to overcome Democratic-led resistance to the
pi :kage combining seven still-unfinished spending bills — out of
tie 13 Congress must pass for the fiscal year starting last Oct. 1.
I But at the same time, they said they would not try to delay it
ahy more beyond next week after Republicans and the White
Bouse threatened to hold the 2003 spending levels in effect
through September.
I “The consequences of delay on this bill are real and the dan
gers are great,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted
Si wens, R-Alaska, said last month in a futile attempt to end
Bemocratic opposition.
I Repercussions are already hitting close to home. Without a
new budget, civil servants have received only a 2 percent pay
raise this year rather than the 4.1 percent in the legislation. Since
Jan. 1, members of Congress have received a 1.5 percent increase
over their $154,700 salaries of 2003, rather than the 2.2 percent
N ost they’ll get once the Senate sends the last piece of the budg
et to the White House and President Bush signs it.
I As for the flu. the spending bill would set aside $50 million to
di versify the manufacturing base for vaccines — too late for the
clrrent flu season when vaccines were sometimes scarce but a
■issible help for fighting future outbreaks.
1 Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi said it "would be
at solutely disastrous” if VA health care programs don’t get their
m.\ billion increase, to $28.6 billion, under the 2004 bill.
I He said doctors at VA hospitals already are leaving at a rate of
■ percent a month and his department is having a hard time
■placing them. Until the increase comes, veterans already wait
ing months for an appointment are at risk of facing longer delays
as well as slower responses to their disability claims.
I It will even be harder to find space in VA cemeteries at a time
w ten 1,800 veterans are dying every day. he said.
I Many agencies manage to make do by shifting money and pri-
oi ities. Stevens warned that the Centers for Disease Control and
Ptevention could be deprived of money needed to combat emerg-
ilg infectious diseases such as SARS and monkeypox, but CDC
officials gave assurances that their work in these areas is not
Bing impeded because of the budget fights.
■ In some instances exceptions are made to the 2003 budget ceil-
ilgs. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said $50 million promised to
Impasse stalls seven spending bills
Senate Democrats have stopped a measure on seven spending
bills that finance most federal agencies. Five continuing resolutions
have extended the bills beyond the start of the budget year,
effectively blocking civil servant pay raises and new programs.
Status of spending bills through Dec. 9, 2003
B Signed by President Bush g Continuing
I Adopted by House resolution
Septj Silllill Octiimilllllll I Nov | DBC.Ijl
I Homeland Interior jk ^
security Military
Ado
I
construction ■
Defense and Energy and water—
legislative branch development
Agriculture: Commerce. Justice and State; District-
of Columbia; Foreign operations; Labor, Health
and Human Services, Education; Transportation
and Treasury; Veterans, Housing, NASA, ERA
SOURCE: Congressional Quarterly AP
the states in 2004 to retrain workers displaced by foreign trade
competition would go out as scheduled.
C. Todd Jones, associate deputy secretary for the budget in the
Education Department, said money for special education and dis
advantaged students typically doesn’t go out until July 1, so there
has been little impact so far from Congress’ inaction even though
both programs will get big increas.es once the last budget piece is
in place.
Among other consequences should the stalemate continue:
—The Food and Drug Administration says it would lose $30 mil
lion from a proposed $250 million prescription drug user fee pro
gram, requiring it to delay new hiring and other initiatives. A new
fee program for renewing animal drugs would be postponed, and
$42 million for a new FDA building would not be available.
—Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said the
Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service would miss out on $80 million in new funding to address
food safety concerns such as mad cow disease. The department
had no comment.
—The FBI could lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars
directed to hiring new agents and fighting terrorism.
—An extra $1 billion to help states modernize voting equip
ment before the 2004 elections wouldn’t be available.
—The first year of President Bush’s five-year, $15 billion plan to
combat global AIDS would be underfunded by about $1 billion.
—$1 billion for the new Millennium Challenge Account, the
president’s initiative to direct aid to those countries promoting
democracy and economic reforms, would be put on hold.
—AmeriCorps would have to delay enrolling tens of thousands
of new volunteers, thwarting Bush’s goal of reaching 75,000.
—Poorer families might have to wait longer for Section 8 rent
subsidy vouchers. .
and*]
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Former governor faces
11-year prison sentence
IsiOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Former
FT p. Bill Janklow faces sentencing on
Banslaughter charges Thursday for an
ajito wreck that ended his 30-year politi
cal career and could send him to prison
fo more than 11 years.
Blanklow, 64, a four-term Republican
governor whose resignation from
Congress took effect Tuesday, was found
glilty Dec. 8 of speeding, running a stop
sign, reckless driving and second-
NEWS IN BRIEF
degree manslaughter in the Aug. 16
death of 55-year-old motorcyclist Randy
Scott at a rural intersection near the con
gressman’s hometown of Flandreau.
Judge Rodney Steele can impose a
sentence of anything from no jail time and
no fines to a total of 11 years and two
months behind bars and $11,400 in fines.
An Associated Press review of South
Dakota court records shows that most
people convicted of second-degree
manslaughter get at least some time
behind bars.
The review found that 40 people have
been found guilty of second-degree
manslaughter since 1989, and 32 of
them were sent to prison or jail. The
average jail term was six months; the
average prison term nearly seven years.
About half of the convictions involved
traffic accidents.
Janklow was state attorney general and,
later, governor on and off beginning in the
1970s, before being elected in 2002 to
South Dakota’s lone House seat. The seat
will remain open until a June 1 election.
The motorcyclist’s family is suing the
former politician for unspecified damages.
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