House Spending Levels Cut Everyone…Except Defense

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee released its 302(b) allocations for Fiscal Year 2012. These numbers reflect the amount of spending each appropriations subcommittee will have for the programs under their jurisdiction for the coming year. 302(b) allocations are based on the Budget Resolution which was introduced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), and which the House adopted back in April. The Budget Resolution serves as the framework within which appropriators will now build the detailed spending plans for FY2012.


302(b) allocations represent the roughly one-third of federal spending that make up the discretionary budget – that portion of the budget that the White House must request and Congress must approve each year.


All the subcommittees received 302(b) allocations below the Administration’s request for FY2012. For Defense, the allocation is $8.9 billion below the FY2012 request of $539 billion (not including military construction, the nuclear weapons-related work of the Department of Energy or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan), yet it is $17 billion above FY2011 levels – a “real” or inflation-adjusted increase of roughly two percent. All other subcommittees received allocations that were both below the FY2012 request and the FY2011 budget.

Here are the details for the other 11 subcommittees:


For Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, the recommendation is $5.0 billion below the Administration's $22.3 billion request, a reduction of 22.6 percent, and $2.7 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for agricultural subsidies, food assistance programs including SNAP and WIC, and funding for enforcement of food safety regulations.


For Commerce, Justice and Science the recommendation is $7.4 billion below the Administration's $57.7 billion request, a reduction of 12.9 percent, and $3.1 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for economic development, law enforcement and scientific research.


For Energy and Water the recommendation is $5.9 billion below the Administration's $31.7 billion request, a reduction of 18.6 percent, and $1.0 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for energy research, the nuclear weapons-related work of the Department of Energy, water quality, and waterways construction.


For Financial Services and General Government the recommendation is $5.8 billion below the Administration's $25.7 billion request, a reduction of 22.6 percent, and $2.1 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for regulation of the financial industry, the Treasury Department, and federal government operations.

For Homeland Security the recommendation is $3.0 billion below the Administration's $43.6 billion request, a reduction of 6.8 percent, and $1.1 billion below the FY2011 level.


For Interior and the Environment the recommendation is $3.8 billion below the Administration's $31.3 billion request, a reduction of 12.2 percent, and $2.1 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for the National Park Service, oversight of federal lands, and environmental protection.


For Labor, Health & Human Services and Education the recommendation is $41.6 billion below the Administration's $180.8 billion request, a reduction of 23.0 percent, and $18.2 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for the majority of social programs include worker protections, special needs programs, and all federal education assistance.


For Legislative Branch the recommendation is $541 million below the Administration's $4.9 billion request, a reduction of 11.1 percent, and $0.2 billion below the FY2011 level. This funding supports the activities of Congress.


For Military Construction and Veterans Affairs the recommendation is $1.3 billion below the Administration's $73.8 billion request, a reduction of 1.7 percent, and $0.6 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for military base and housing construction and a broad range of Veteran’s programs including housing and education programs.

For State and Foreign Operations the recommendation is $11.2 billion below the Administration's $50.8 billion request, a reduction of 22.1 percent, and $8.6 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for State Department operations and the majority of foreign assistance programs.

For Transportation and Housing the recommendation is $27.1 billion below the Administration's $74.7 billion request, a reduction of 36.2 percent, and $7.7 billion below the FY2011 level. This includes funding for national infrastructure programs and housing assistance.


When looking at these numbers its important to note that the spending categories are so broad it’s impossible to determine exactly where the cuts will come. NPP has done some additional analysis that shed light on what House Republicans are proposing. The first, The President's Budget to the Chairman's Plan, looks at Chairman Ryan's proposal as it relates to the Obama Administration's FY2012 request, while the second, Defining the FY2012 Budget Debate, compares the Ryan plan to a budget alternative offered by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Finally, recent news reports indicate that the House GOP leadership wants to push through the majority of the 12 annual appropriations bills before Congress’s August recess. Stay tuned for what promises to be a wild summer in Washington.