Following is a summary of President Clinton's fiscal 2001 budget requests for some of the larger federal departments and agencies:
Agriculture
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman Monday unveiled a $65 billion fiscal 2001 budget, down 9 percent from the estimated $71.1 billion in FY2000, including emergency spending.
In addition to the $11.5 billion countercyclical aid package for farmers which Glickman announced last week and today called an "augmentation" to the 1996 farm bill, the budget calls for enhancements in the food stamp program totaling $31 million.
The budget also assumes the imposition of $534 million in user fees for meat, poultry and egg inspections-proposals that have been made by several administrations for many years, but have never gotten congressional approval.
Other proposals include $1.3 billion for conservation announced recently by Vice President Al Gore, including $65 million for farmland preservation; a $29 million increase in food safety; an increase of $96 million in research and development of biobased products; an increase of $32 million to a total of $85 million on global climate change research and a total of $24 million for technological climate change initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy
The Energy Department requested a 9 percent increase in its fiscal 2001 budget, a rise of $1.6 billion that would give the agency $18.9 billion for the year.
Although the Republican- controlled Congress cut DOE's FY2000 budget, the Clinton administration requested a $1 billion increase in FY2001 for defense programs and $500 million for civilian programs.
The White House earmarked 40 percent, or $7.6 billion, of the funds for research and development. DOE's Science and Technology Office requested a 12 percent increase and all other major divisions requested 8 percent increases.
After last year's revelations of security breaches in DOE labs, the department asked for a $500 million increase to $6.6 billion for national security programs, including a $300 million boost in defense programs to $4.6 billion. The department also announced a $200 million increase to $1.3 billion in energy efficiency and renewal programs.
"Our budget reflects the department's responsibilities to the American people. It proposes to enhance our energy, security and science missions," Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said.
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA requested $7.26 billion in fiscal 2001 appropriations. The budget request includes $1.45 billion for cleanup of hazardous waste at Superfund sites and $92 million for brownfields initiatives to promote redevelopment of industrial sites.
In addition, the request calls for $227.3 million for the EPA portion of the climate change technology initiative program to address global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The request also includes $800 million for the clean water state revolving fund; $85 million for the clean air partnership fund; and $825 million for the drinking water state revolving fund.
Health and Human Services
Although most of President Clinton's health initiatives were strategically leaked over the past month, the budget includes a few surprises.
One is the last-minute addition of a $35 billion "reserve fund" to be added to the Medicare prescription drug benefit to help those with the highest drug costs. The lack of such "catastrophic" coverage in the plan, which benefits otherwise top out at $5,000, had been a key criticism. Clinton said today the catastrophic reserve fund was "something I did not talk about in the State of the Union because I did not know for sure that we would have this money."
Another new starter Clinton unveiled in his Saturday radio address would allow states to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income, uninsured women whose breast or cervical cancer is found through the federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. The administration had not previously endorsed legislation to accomplish that goal.
The President's budget includes increases for most health programs, including an additional $1 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a $35 million boost-13 percent-for family planning programs, and a $60 million increase-17 percent-for the Mental Health Block Grant.
But not every program would benefit. The budget proposes cuts to programs to train health professionals, locks in a cut imposed last year to the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant, and freezes funding for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant.
Labor
The White House Monday proposed a $1.2 billion increase in fiscal 2001 discretionary labor-related spending to $12.4 billion on a series of initiatives involving worker training, work incentives and labor standard improvements.
"We will continue to build a strong, competitive workforce that can respond to a rapidly changing economic environment, and one way to do that is to bring into the workforce the people who have been struggling to get there," said Labor Secretary Alexis Herman.
President Clinton's proposed budget calls for a $181 million increase, to $1.8 billion, for a dislocated worker training program, and for a $31 million spending increase for a trade adjustment assistance program for workers displaced by trade agreements-to $459 million over five years.
The budget also sets out a series of "principles" for reforming unemployment insurance programs, including the expansion of coverage and eligibility, reduction of the tax burden, an emphasis on re-employment, and reduction of fraud and abuse.
The budget also proposes to remove a Medicare benefit limit in the Ticket to Work Act, and includes a $1,000 tax credit for workers with disability to defray work-related costs. Clinton also has requested a $45 million increase in spending by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in FY2001 to $426 million.
Transportation
Motor carrier safety and aviation modernization are the priorities in the president's fiscal 2001 budget proposal for the Transportation Department.
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater Monday urged Congress to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration this year. Meanwhile, the FAA budget once again does not propose taking money from the general fund for airport improvement programs-but relies instead on the aviation trust fund and airport user fees.
"We have a difference of opinion on how to deal with the long-term needs of FAA," Slater said-adding the administration would not oppose a general fund contribution, but intends to stick to its own plan.
According to the budget, the total FAA request is $11.2 billion-up nearly $2 billion from FY2000 levels. The Clinton administration also is proposing significant budget boosts for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
In a push to reduce motor carrier fatalities by 50 percent in 10 years, the President is proposing the FMCSA be funded at $279 million in FY2001, an increase of 54 percent over FY2000. NHTSA is slated for a 33 percent increase to $499 million.
The President also would decrease funding to Amtrak, proposing a $521 million investment in capital improvements as opposed to this year's $571 million.