Bush Budget Would Trim Community Policing
Mon Feb 2, 5:51 PM ET
By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush 's budget plan
would reduce spending for community police, water projects and other
programs popular with lawmakers as well as broad programs ranging
from environmental protection to agriculture.
Sixty-five government programs, 38 of them
education-related, would be eliminated for a
saving of $4.9 billion. Spending cuts would be
sought in 63 others in the budget plan
unveiled Monday.
"In some cases we say mission
accomplished, in some cases it is duplicative
of other programs we have in place, especially when we have new and
better programs, and in some cases ... the program is not showing the
results," said the White House budget director, Joshua Bolten.
Since taking office, Bush has tried to cut the Clinton-era program to put
100,000 police officers on the streets, saying it did not conclusively
reduce crime. Congress keeps rejecting the reduction.
Now, the administration has an additional argument, contending the
Community Oriented Policing Services program has met its goal with
118,500 officers hired. The budget plan would cut the program from
$481.9 million to $97 million, with the remaining money going for training
and other law enforcement programs.
The plan to cut U.S. Corps of Engineers water project construction, from
$1.7 billion to $1.4 billion, is politically sensitive, too. Lawmakers use the
projects to demonstrate their clout in Washington.
The Environmental Protection Agency 's 8.9 percent
decrease overall included a $492 million reduction in low-interest loans to
states and communities for clean water pollution control projects.
Funding would drop from $1.3 billion to $850 million.
Another $335 million cut would come from allocations to local
governments, to improve wastewater, storm water and drinking water
facilities. Last year's budget provided $429 million.
The reduction in the clean water loan program would hurt much-needed
efforts to replace aging facilities, said Adam Krantz, a spokesman for the
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, which represents
publicly owned sewage treatment plants.
"It's precisely the wrong message, when states and communities are
facing budget crunches and heightened security needs, to propose these
kinds of cuts," he said.
The Agriculture Department's budget would reduce rural development
programs from $2.45 billion to $2.21 billion, while conservation funds
would drop from $1.03 billion to $908 million.
For the Energy Department, the administration proposes spending $502
million - 22 percent less than last year - for research into the
long-term health and environmental consequences of energy use and
development. That includes programs for global climate change; air, land
and marine environments; and biological effects of radiation.
The administration's ambitious plans to return Americans to the moon as
early as 2015, and eventually send a mission to Mars, would cut space
agency spending for earth science, aeronautics and education.
The Education Department would realize a $1.4 billion saving from
elimination of 38 programs, including those focused on alcohol abuse,
the arts, dropout prevention, school counselors, smaller learning
communities, school reform, and school leadership.
Other proposed reductions:
_The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, $3.69 billion to
$3.38 billion.
_The U.S. Geological Survey (news - web sites), $938 million to $920
million.
_A decrease in spending for the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (news - web sites) of $408
million, or 8.9 percent.
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