Say Anything Blog

Senator Kent Conrad, North Dakota’s self-appointed “budget hawk,” has “broken down” President Bush’s budget and it’s pretty clear that he’s ticked (notice the smarmy crack about red ink) about deficits.

Washington – Senator Kent Conrad released the following statement today regarding the release of President Bush’s spending plan for Fiscal Year 2009, which will begin Oct. 1:

“It is telling that President Bush didn’t even bother to print copies of his final budget.  Perhaps he just ran out of red ink.

“We’ve seen this script before.  The President proposes more of the same failed fiscal policies he has embraced throughout his time in office – more deficit-financed war spending, more deficit-financed tax cuts tilted to benefit the wealthiest, and more borrowing from foreign nations like China and Japan.  The result can only be the same – a further explosion of debt and the undermining of our nation’s economic security.

“And once again, the President has tried to conceal the true fiscal impact of his budget by leaving out large costs.  He provides at most half a year of war funding.  He leaves out the cost of an Alternative Minimum Tax fix beyond 2008.  And he again assumes multi-year cuts in domestic discretionary programs, without detailing where these cuts are to occur beyond the first year.

“This budget will be quickly forgotten.  But, unfortunately, the President’s legacy of debt will stay with us, as it is passed on to future generations.  His stewardship of our budget has been an utter disaster.  We need a dramatic change in our fiscal course, and it can’t happen soon enough.”

So Kent Conrad is worried about our national debt.  I’m glad he is.  I’m worried about it too, but what makes me scratch my head is the rest of Conrad’s rather long press release which goes on to detail all the ways Bush’s budget doesn’t spend enough money in North Dakota:

For North Dakota, the President’s budget delivers mixed news:

Agriculture
The President’s budget does not provide sufficient funding to write a Farm Bill, only $2.5 billion in new funding over five years.  The White House also proposes to eliminate the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, just a year after it proposed a $1.15 million increase for obesity research funding for the Center. The budget also eliminates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which will affect low income seniors in North Dakota.

Defense
The President’s budget includes strong funding for both the Predator and Global Hawk, two major UAV programs to be based in North Dakota.  There is more than $1 billion set aside for Global Hawk which will allow for modifications on existing aircraft as well as the procurement of five new aircraft.  In addition, there is funding for the procurement of 38 new Predators (up from 24 last year).  This strong funding will help to ensure a quick expansion of the new UAV missions at Grand Forks Air Force Base.

The President’s budget only includes funding for 56 B-52 bombers.  However, the budget does continue to fund the modernization of the current force with $41.7 million in modifications (versus $18.1 million requested last year) and an additional $38.6 million for further research and development on new B-52 capabilities.  Congress has passed Senator Conrad’s legislation blocking the reduction of the B-52 fleet below 76 active aircraft.

Finally, the budget includes nearly $900 million for advance procurement of the KC-X, the next generation of air refueling tankers, with the first few aircraft to be purchased in fiscal year 2010. The Grand Forks Air Force Base is home to the 319th Air Refueling Wing, which flies and maintains 38 KC-135 Stratotankers.

Economic Development
The President’s budget cuts the Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loan program to $738 million from $887 million.  Disaster funding for small businesses is critical to places like Northwood where unforeseen natural disasters require federal assistance for recovery.

The President’s budget proposal slashes funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program from $91 million in FY08 to $4 million in FY09.  The manufacturing sector served by North Dakota’s MEP provides 9 percent of the state’s GDP and one-third of its economic growth.

Education
The budget eliminates funding for 48 elementary, secondary, and post secondary educational programs, including Even Start, Career and Technical Education State Grants, Education Technology, and physical education programs.  Grants for Safe and Drug Free Schools would be cut by nearly $195 million.  In addition, 21st Century Community Learning Centers would be cut by nearly $300 million.

The President’s budget increases the Pell Grant maximum for college students to $4,800 in FY09.  However, it eliminates other student aid such as Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Perkins Loans.

Energy
This President’s budget proposal includes $85 million for the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI), a 21 percent increase from the FY08 appropriated level.  This funding increase could benefit power companies in North Dakota that are interested in capturing the carbon dioxide from the use of coal.

The White House proposes a 17 percent cut to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.  In 2007, North Dakota utilized more than $20 million in LIHEAP funding and served 18,800 households. The President’s budget also includes a 42 percent cut to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Loan Program. In FY07, North Dakota received $227.9 million in RUS electric loans.  The White House also plans to eliminate funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).  In 2006, WAP served 711 low-income households in North Dakota.

Health
The President’s budget slashes funding for rural health, proposing an 86 percent cut.  The Health Outreach Grant Program, which has provided $10 million to 20 Outreach networks in North Dakota since 1991, is completely eliminated.  The FLEX Program is also eliminated - it has provided $3.3 million to North Dakota’s Critical Access Hospitals since 1999.  Finally, the Rural and Community Access to Emergency Devices program is eliminated.  This program has placed more than 441 devices in 130 North Dakota communities. 

The budget also calls for $186.3 billion in Medicare cuts over the next five years.  North Dakota’s hospitals stand to lose more than $50 million over five years.  Hospice providers could lose more than $5 million over five years.  The state’s nursing homes would be cut by more than $40 million over the next five years.  For home health agencies, the proposed payment freeze will mean more than $7 million in cuts for North Dakota providers over five years.

Homeland Security
The President’s Budget decreases state homeland security funding to $200 million from last year’s appropriated level of $890 million.

Housing
The White House cuts Community Development Block Grants by 18 percent. In 2006, CDBG funded 54 housing rehabilitation, public facilities, and economic development projects in to North Dakota.

Indian Affairs
For the seventh straight year, the President proposes zeroing out funding for United Tribes Technical College.  The budget funds Indian health care overall, but contract health care is cut by 6 percent, which will limit care to Native Americans.  In addition, the budget cuts Indian Health facilities by $22 million. On housing, the President’s budget includes $627 million for Native American block grants, a $3 million cut.  However, a total of $678 million is provided for BIA Education and facility construction, a $3 million increase.

Justice
The President’s Budget changes the Byrne /Justice Assistance Grants program into a competitive grant program in which North Dakota would be not be guaranteed funding.  North Dakota received $1.13 million in FY07, used to fight the meth epidemic.

The President’s Budget also eliminates the COPS program, though it proposes a nominal amount of funding for similar activities in another part of the budget.  North Dakota received $5.22 million in COPS funding in FY07 to improve law enforcement technology and fight meth.  The President’s Budget also decreases funding for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas by $30 million.  North Dakota received more than $500,000 in FY07 to fight methamphetamine and other drugs through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program.

Transportation
Amtrak is cut from $1.3 billion in FY08 to a proposed $800 million in FY09.  At this funding level, long distance routes, like the Empire Builder, would likely be eliminated.  Last year, in excess of 100,000 passengers traveled to or from North Dakota on Amtrak’s Empire Builder route.

The President’s budget proposes cutting $75 million from Essential Air Service.  EAS subsidized 21,827 enplanements in North Dakota in 2007.

Veterans
The Bush budget recommends a modest increase of $1.6 billion for discretionary veterans’ programs, which includes veterans’ medical services in FY09.  However, as in past years, the budget also includes annual enrollment fees and an increase in the prescription co-payment for medications for veterans.  The budget increases fees on veterans for their health care by $5.2 billion over the next ten years.  After 2009, the Bush budget is forecast to actually cut discretionary veterans’ programs.

Water
The Bush Administration cuts $154 million from the overall budget for Water and Related Resources in FY09.  It includes only $22.1 million for Garrison, a 67 percent cut from the FY08 level of $67.9 million.  In addition, funding for the Corps of Engineers is cut by $846 million from the FY08 enacted level.  However, $3.5 million is provided for the rehab of the Garrison Dam power plant.

How can Conrad be both concerned about budget deficits and cut spending in North Dakota?  That doesn’t make any sense, unless you consider that Kent Conrad is a tax-and-spend liberal who never has any solutions for budget deficits that don’t include raising taxes.

If Conrad were an honest political leader who was truly concerned about budget deficits he’d recognize that the first step toward stopping those deficits is to stop spending. You can’t get out of a whole if you don’t stop digging.