BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

Protecting the Homeland

• Equips and trains first responders (firefighting, law enforcement, emergency medical personnel) to respond to potential future threats ($3.5 billion in grants).

• Counters the threat of bioterrorism with enhancements in hospitals and other public health systems ($1.2 billion), research and development ($2.4 billion), pharmaceutical and vaccine stockpile ($400 million), and a national information network for better detection of biological attacks, as well as natural disease outbreaks ($392 million).

• Secures our borders through improved tracking of the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens (+$350 million), more than doubles the number of Border Patrol agents on the northern border, and enhances Customs Service and Coast Guard operations and equipment.

• Meets aviation security requirements by continuing the renewed commitment to federal air marshals, hiring 30,000 new federal airport security workers, and installing explosive detection equipment ($4.8 billion).

Winning the War on Terrorism Abroad

• Supports 250,000 forward-deployed troops and the 1.1 million here at home with a total defense budget of $369 billion (a 12 percent increase), plus $10 billion more if the war against terrorism requires it.

• Meets new threats by making investments in transformational activities such as unmanned combat aerial vehicles ($146 million), precision munitions ($1.2 billion), and intelligence enhancements.

• Aids countries fighting terrorism abroad ($3.5 billion), expands anti-terrorism and security training for other countries ($121 million), and expands efforts to diminish the threat of the proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons ($1.5 billion).

Returning to Economic Vitality

• Re-proposes a bipartisan approach to economic stimulus that assists unemployed workers and provides tax incentives to boost economic growth.

• Moderates the growth of discretionary spending, excluding national and homeland security requirements, to two percent.

• Balances the budget by 2005 without endangering the war against terrorism and homeland security efforts and without raising taxes.

Governing with Accountability

• Incorporates the President’s five management reforms into agencies’ budgets and plans: strategic management of human capital, competitive sourcing, E-Government, financial management, and budget and performance integration.

• Includes a Management Scorecard to measure progress on these five management reforms.

• Shifts the budget’s focus from how much is being spent to what is being accomplished.

• Begins integration of performance measures in the budget process, rates programs based on their effectiveness, and shifts resources to more effective programs.

• Incorporates the President’s Freedom to Manage Initiative and seeks reprogramming and reorganization authority to better align programs and resources.

Funds Other Priority Initiatives while Moderating the Growth in Spending

• Education. Funds the No Child Left Behind Act, including $1 billion for the Reading First Initiative and a $1 billion increase to help low-income students meet new reading and math standards. Also funds a historically high level of funding for special education ($8.5 billion).

• National Institutes of Health (NIH). Meets commitment to double funding from 1998 levels, proposing $27.3 billion in 2003.

• Community Health Centers. Funds 1,200 new or expanded sites to serve an additional 6.1 million patients by 2006.

• Medicare Prescription Drugs. Provides a prescription drug benefit in a modernized Medicare program, and takes immediate steps to begin improving Medicare benefits, including assistance with prescription drug costs and better coverage options for seniors (+$190 billion over 10 years).

• Health Insurance. Initiates a refundable tax credit to subsidize up to 90 percent of the cost for low and middle income Americans who do not have employer coverage ($89 billion over 10 years).

• Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening.Includes a $9 million increase for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's breast and cervical cancer program to expand screening services for low-income women.

• Compassion. Funds the President’s Compassion and Faith-Based Initiatives ($6 billion annually when fully phased-in of new charitable giving tax credits, $100 million for the Compassion Capital Fund, $10 million for Maternity Group Homes, $25 million for Mentoring Children of Prisoners, and $20 million for a Responsible Fatherhood Initiative).

• WIC. Serves 7.8 million women and children through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program ($4.8 billion in 2003).

• Food Stamps. Restores eligibility for many legal immigrants.

• Low-income weatherization. Assists an additional 18,000 low-income families ($277 million in 2003—a 20 percent increase).

• Job Corps. Supports 122 residential training centers ($1.5 billion in 2003).

• Housing. Includes a new tax credit for low and middle income Americans for up to 50 percent of the cost of constructing a new home or rehabilitating an existing home.

• USA Freedom Corps. Funds the President’s new USA Freedom Corps Initiative.

• Stewardship. Fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (over $900 million) and maintains commitment to eliminate the National Park Service maintenance backlog by 2006. Provides record high funding for National Wildlife Refuges (+$54 million).

• Environmental Protection. Provides record funding levels for the Environmental Protection Agency’s operating budget and its state program grants.

• Science and Technology. Provides a record high request for science and technology efforts at $57 billion (a nine percent increase).

• Agriculture . Funds a farm bill that will provide a solid safety net for all farmers and ranchers, expand markets abroad, and increase resource conservation to enhance our environment (+$73.5 billion over 10 years).

• Energy. To reduce dependence on imported oil, funds a new Freedom CAR and a new Coal Research Initiative and proposes $9.1 billion in tax incentives over 10 years to develop alternative technologies, including renewable electricity generation, residential solar energy systems, and hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.

• International Drug Control. To destroy the crops and labs that produce cocaine at its sources, funds the Andean Counterdrug Initiative ($731 million).

• Drug Treatment. Supports 52,000 additional drug abuse treatment slots.

• Election Reform. In line with the recommendations made by former Presidents Carter and Ford, provides $1.2 billion over three years to assist states with the acquisition of new voting machines, voter education, and poll worker training.

• Tax-Filing. Improves the convenience and eliminates the cost of electronic filing for citizens with simple tax forms.

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