Defying OMB, House panel boosts firefighting funds

In a defiant move toward the Office of Management and Budget, the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday approved an amendment to the fiscal 2003 Interior spending bill that would add $700 million in emergency spending for firefighting efforts.

The amendment, sponsored by Interior Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Norman Dicks, D-Wash., would actually appropriate fiscal 2002 money--$500 million for the Forest Service and $200 million for the Bureau of Land Management. Dicks said the Forest Service has exhausted its firefighting funds for the year and was going to have to suspend other activities in order to direct money toward the fire crisis.

"We have to face up to the reality … and send a strong message that this committee understands what will happen if we don't get this money," Dicks said.

An OMB spokeswoman said the White House opposed the amendment on the grounds that Congress had already appropriated $2.2 billion for firefighting and that the Interior Department had the authority to borrow between $1.3 billion and $2.1 billion more if needed.

But Dicks countered that the administration would have to pay that money back eventually, and Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., accused OMB of being "oblivious" to the situation in the West, which is on track to have its worst fire season on record.

"Anybody in their right mind should realize that this is an extraordinary situation," said Obey, suggesting that OMB "smell the smoke."

In addition, the panel approved an amendment offered by Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Joe Skeen, R-N.M., that would boost conservation funds in the Interior spending bill by $60 million, bringing the total to about $1.44 billion, the same as the authorization level. To do that, the panel had to move $30 million from the 2003 Defense and VA-HUD spending bills to the Interior appropriations bill. The panel also approved the $19.7 billion Interior spending bill by voice vote.