On Friday November 19, 2004 it was announced that the United States government was in danger of running out of money by midnight that night. Eager to adjourn for the year, The House drafts a 3,500 page $388 billion spending bill in response late in the night.
Among the slashes made were several of President Bush's initiatives. These incluided funding to AmeriCorp, and a rejection of his plans to build up the United States nuclear weapons stores. The bill also funded a dozen agencies including the departments of labor, agriculture, treasury, state and justice. However, its most major change was to raise the debt limit of the Federal Government. The bill was passed by the House in an emergency session on Saturday November 20, although most members are baffled as to what the bill actually says.
By Monday November 21 the bill reached the Senate where it was revealed by Democratic Senator Kent Conrad that among the many over looked provisions, the bill gave two committee chairmen, the chairman of the House or Senate Committee on Appropriations, the ability to access anyone’s tax returns. In response Rep. Ernest Istook of Oklahoma, who was in charge of this section of the bill, said the provision was intended to "include visiting and inspecting the huge IRS processing centers but not inspecting tax returns." He also stated adamantly that there is no conspiracy. Although others tout that this is evidence of a real problem in the legislative system and bills must start being read before they are passed. The Senate refused to send the bill to the president till this provision was changed or removed. It was decided that an already existing provision would fund the country till a minimalistic session on December 6 when the house will vote to remove the langauge. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said "accountability will be carried out" for whom ever put the provision in.
Also, barried within the bill, was a provision that said that doctors, hospitals, and clinics no longer have to offer abortion as an alternative to birth control undermining the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade.
By the middle of the next week, November 24, more and more of the actual text of the bill was known. It incluided such provisions as $335,000 to protect North Dakota sunflowers from blackbirds, $2.3 million for an animal waste management research lab in Bowling Green, Kentucky, $50,000 to control wild hogs in Missouri, and $443,000 to develop salmon-fortified baby food, $131 million for abstinence programs in public schools, and most notably $350,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to develope music education programs.
Sen. Richard Shelby a Republican from Alabama, and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, managed to win several dozen special items for his state, more than anyone else. However many members of congress, Republicans and Democrats, stepped forward to defend special projects for their states that make up the bulk of the bill. Part of President Bush's platform for reelection was to cut so called "congressional pet projects" and spend the government's money on things that would help the country as a whole.
President Bush signed the bill into law on December 6. Here is a short list of itmes in the bill.
Education: $59.7 billion, $1.4 billion over last year and $300 million below President Bush's request. Aid to low-income school districts $12.8 billion, $500 million below Bush but $500 million more than last year. Grants for improving teacher quality $1.5 billion, 0.7 percent over last year. Aid for disabled students $11.8 billion, 5.4 percent over last year.
Transportation: Overall $59 billion, $1.1 billion over last year and $1 billion more than Bush requested. Highway construction gets $34.7 billion, $1 billion over last year and over Bush's proposal. Federal Aviation Administration gets $10.4 billion, $100 million over last year. Amtrak gets $1.2 billion, the same as last year.
Foreign aid: $19.5 billion, $2 billion over last year and $1.8 billion below Bush's request. Total $2.9 billion for fighting AIDS in poor countries, $100 million more than Bush wanted.
State Department: $8.3 billion, a $554 million cut from 2004. Embassy security would grow by 17 percent to $612 million.
Land and cultural programs: The Interior Department will get $9.9 billion, nearly $100 million less than Bush wanted and 0.4 percent more than 2004. National parks operating money goes up 6 percent, but money for buying park lands remains nearly two-thirds below the peak of three years ago.
Health and social programs: Maternal and child health gets $896 million, 0.7 percent over last year. AIDS programs get almost $2.1 billion, 1.2 percent over last year. National Institutes of Health get $28.5 billion, 3.1 percent over last year, one of its smallest increases in years. Energy assistance for low income families $2.2 billion, 4 percent over last year.
Veterans: Veterans' health care programs will get $30.3 billion, $1.9 billion over last year and $1.2 billion more than Bush wanted.
Housing, urban affairs: $37.3 billion, 1.6 percent below last year and 1.4 percent over Bush's request.
Justice Department: $20.9 billion, $1 billion over last year. FBI gets $5.2 billion, almost a 14 percent increase over last year. Aid to state and local law enforcement agencies is $1.3 billion, $90 million below last year.
Environmental Protection Agency: $8.1 billion, 3.3 percent below last year but 3.8 percent over Bush.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration: $16.2 billion, or 5.3 percent over last year.
Postal Service: Bill includes $507 million for equipment to detect biohazards and to build a postal facility in Washington, D.C., to irradiate mail to destroy possible biological contamination.
Congress: $3.6 billion, $43 million over last year. Capitol Police get $232 million, $13 million over last year. No funds provided for continuing construction of Capitol Visitors' Center, which is running well over budget and has money left over from previous years.
