This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY2010 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bills. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government also approved its FY2010 spending bill.
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
On June 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2010 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies approved the measure on June 16 (see The Source, 6/19/09).
According to a committee press release, the bill would provide $77.9 billion in discretionary spending, $5 billion above FY2009 and $200 million more than the administration’s request.
As requested by the administration, the Veterans Health Administration would receive $45.078 billion, $4.373 billion more than FY2009. The bill also includes $24.6 billion for Military Construction, Family Housing, and BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure]. Included in this amount is funding for the building of child care centers, barracks, and homes.
More information will be available when the committee report accompanying the bill is printed.
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
On June 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approved the measure on June 17 (see The Source, 6/19/09).
According to a committee statement, the bill would provide $48.843 billion in FY2010, $1.2 billion below FY2009, including supplemental appropriations, and $3.2 billion below President Obama’s request.
Global health programs would receive $7.784 billion in FY2010, $670 million more than FY2009 and $190 million over the administration’s request. Included in that amount is $5.75 billion for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, $250 million above FY2009 and $150 million more than President Obama’s request. The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria would receive $750 million under this title. Child survival programs would receive $2.38 billion in FY2010, $470 million more than FY2009 (including the $50 million provided by the FY2009 supplemental, see, The Source 6/19/09), and $89 million more than the administration’s request. Maternal and child health programs would receive $33 million.
The bill includes $648 million for international family planning services, $100 million above the FY2009 enacted level and $50 million above the administration’s request. Included in that amount is $60 million for the United Nations Population Fund.
Food security programs would be funded at $1 billion, $550 million above FY2009 and $363 million below President Obama’s request. Basic education programs also would receive $1 billion, $300 million above FY2009 and $19 million more than the administration’s request.
United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions would receive $2.1 billion in FY2010, $263.5 million less than FY2009 and $135 million below President Obama’s request. “These funds support UN peacekeeping missions around the world, including in Darfur, Congo [see The Source, 4/4/08] Liberia, Haiti, and Lebanon.”
Additional details on programs of interest to women and their families will be available when the committee report accompanying the bill is printed.
Financial Services and General Government
On June 25, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government approved, by voice vote, the FY2010 Financial Services and General Government spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to subcommittee documents, the bill would provide $24.15 billion in discretionary funds for FY2010, $1.599 billion over FY2009 and $75.9 million less than President Obama’s request.
The Small Business Administration would receive $848 million, $235.7 million more than FY 2009 and $68.7 million above the administration’s request. “These appropriations should be sufficient to support $28 billion in lending to small businesses — critically important for firms that may have seen other sources of financing dry up,” said Subcommittee Chair José Serrano (D-NY). He continued, “We also continue Small Business Development Centers at this year’s level, rejecting the proposed $13 million cut, and provide a boost for the PRIME [Program for Investment in Micro Entrepreneurs] program, which is targeted to low-income and very-low-income small business owners.”
The District of Columbia would receive $768.3 million, $26 million more than FY2009 and $29.2 million over the administration’s request. Rep. Serrano noted that “[a]mong other things, the measure continues assistance to improve education in both public and charter schools in the District [of Columbia]. It adopts the president’s proposal for a limited continuation of the school voucher program — for those already in the program only. The committee provides new payments to address certain high priority needs: aiding the homeless, helping youth who are not connected to school or work, and slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
His statement continues, “The bill also takes further steps towards reducing undue congressional interference in local affairs and eliminating restrictions on the District that do not apply to other parts of the nation. The bill eliminates the special prohibition on use of locally raised funds for abortion — thereby placing the District in the same position as each of the 50 states in that regard. The measure also discontinues the ban on use of funds for domestic partnership registration and benefits and the ban on use of funds for needle exchange programs, and allows the District to conduct and implement a referendum on use of marijuana for medical purposes as has been done in various states.”
