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LOCAL News :: Miscellaneous

Bush Budget: The Impact on Illinois

The Bush administration released its budget request for fiscal year 2007 on February 6. It proposes the elimination or significant reduction of 141 programs and deep cuts in domestic spending.

Non-security domestic discretionary spending would be cut by $15 billion, or 4.4%, after taking inflation into account. Many of the administration’sproposals would reduce funding in grants to state and local governments across a range of areas. See how the amount of income tax you paid will be spent.

Food & nutrition: The budget proposal would eliminate the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, cutting off at least 400,000 senior citizens from nutritious, packaged meals. The budget also proposes to cut funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) by $200 million, after taking inflation into account. Illinois would lose $6.4 million in WIC funding, while 9.0% of the state’s residents currently experience food insecurity.

Community development: The budget proposes once again to cut Community Development Block Grants(CDBG), which help cities and towns ensure affordable housing, provide services and create jobs. Illinois would lose $40.5 million in CDBG funds under the budget proposal. The loss to Chicago would total $19.6 million and East St Louis would lose $434,037.

Will this budget reduce deficits?

The administration claims that domestic spending cuts are necessary to reduce the deficit. The budget request projects a budget deficit of $354 billion which is $69 billion less than the projection for FY2006.

However:

* The budget proposes to make the 2001-2003 tax cuts permanent which would reduce revenues by $1.7 trillion over the next decade.

* The budget for FY2007 does not include complete funding for the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, which could add another $70 billion to the deficit.
 
 

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