This week, the House and Senate approved the FY2005 Department of Defense spending bill. At press time, the House was debating the Energy and Water Development spending bill. The House Appropriations Committee approved the following bills: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies. A House Appropriations subcommittee approved the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs spending bill. A Senate Appropriations subcommittee approved the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies spending bill.
House Action
On June 24, the House defeated, 184-230, a Democratic resolution (H. Res. 685) revising the FY2005 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 95). Sponsored by Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the resolution would have provided an additional $5.7 billion for education programs, including $2.2 billion for Pell Grants, $1.2 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and $300 million for child care and after-school programs; an additional $1.3 billion for health programs, including $400 million for “safety net” programs to meet rising health costs and the needs of children and others who are losing coverage under Medicaid and employer-provided insurance, $400 million for the National Institutes of Health, $285 million to help alleviate the shortage of doctors and dentists in areas with shortages and increase the number of minority health professionals, and $35 million to help increase the number of nurses; and an additional $175 million to restore cuts to the Community Services Block Grant. The resolution would have been offset by a tax increase for individuals with annual incomes over $1 million.
Press reports indicate that Rep. Obey was guaranteed a vote on the resolution in exchange for his cooperation in facilitating floor action on the FY2005 appropriations bills.
Department of Defense
On June 22, the House approved, 403-17, the FY2005 Department of Defense spending bill (H.R. 4613). The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure on June 16 (see The Source, 6/18/04).
H.R. 4613 would allocate $416.9 billion for the Department of Defense in FY2005, a $48.7 billion increase over FY2004 and $11.1 billion below the administration’s request. As requested by President Bush, $25 billion would be provided to partially cover the projected costs of continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The measure also would provide $95 million for humanitarian assistance in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Several women’s health research programs would be funded under the bill: $150 million for the Army’s Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program and $10 million for the Ovarian Cancer Research Program. Both breast cancer research and ovarian cancer research would be level-funded.
The bill would provide $3 million in FY2005 for the Gynecological Cancer Center. Last year, Congress provided $4.25 million for the establishment of a Gynecologic Disease Program. In addition, the Comprehensive Reproductive System Care Program would receive $15 million, $1.4 million more than FY2004.
The measure would provide $1.5 million for the Air Force Environmental and Occupational Factors in Women’s Health Program, $3 million for genetic cancer research in women, and $200,000 for the Military-Civilian Education and Sexual Health Decision-Making Program. None of these programs were funded in FY2004.
Funding for global HIV/AIDS prevention would be earmarked at $10 million in FY2005, a $5.75 million increase above the FY2004 level. In addition, the House Appropriations Committee report accompanying H.R. 4613 states that no less than $4.25 million “shall be available for HIV prevention educational activities undertaken in connection with U.S. military training, exercises, and humanitarian assistance activities conducted primarily in African nations.”
H.R. 4613 would provide $20 million for the Family Advocacy Program, $2 million less than FY2004. In addition, report language states that the committee recommends an increase of $3 million above the administration’s request “to enhance the Department of Defense’s victim advocate program. Given the potential for domestic violence arising from the heightened stress our military members and families face in connection with the ongoing Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, the Committee believes a military-wide set of standard protocols for responding to sexual misconduct and domestic violence cases must be developed. As such, these additional funds are to be used by the Department of Defense to initiate a program to standardize response protocols among military services that ensure access to treatment services, reduce bureaucratic hurdles for victims and survivors, and remove barriers to reporting these types of violence cases.”
According to the report, “The Committee believes that hardships resulting from U.S. troop deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan make it imperative for the Department of Defense to offer adequate mental health services for active duty and reserve members deployed to combat theaters. The Committee also is concerned that sufficient mental health services be made readily available to dependents of active duty and reserve members. As such, the Committee directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a comprehensive review of mental health services available to our military members deployed in combat theaters, as well a review of services that may be available to their dependents during and after a military member’s deployment.”
House Committee Action
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
On June 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2005 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). A House Appropriations subcommittee approved the bill on June 14 (see The Source, 6/18/04).
The measure would allocate $16.77 billion in FY2005, $173 million less than FY2004 and $20 million above the administration’s request.
The bill would provide $4.9 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, $261 million more than FY2004 and $120 million more than the administration’s request. In addition, child nutrition programs would receive $11.38 billion in FY2005, a $37 million decrease below the FY2004 level.
The measure would allocate $1.457 billion for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in FY2005, $7 million more than FY2004, but $37 million below the administration’s request. The Office of Women’s Health at the FDA would receive $4 million, $350,000 more than FY2004.
The Food Stamp Program would be funded at $33.6 billion, a $2.7 billion increase above the FY2004 level, but $6 million below the administration’s request. In addition, $1.18 billion would be provided for the Food for Peace Program, $12 million less than FY2004 and $5 million below the administration’s request.
As approved by the subcommittee, the measure would prohibit the FDA from using federal funds to prevent U.S. citizens from importing prescription drugs from certain Western countries.
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies
On June 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2005 Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). A House Appropriations subcommittee approved the bill on June 15 (see The Source, 6/18/04).
The measure would allocate $39.8 billion in FY2005, $2 billion more than FY2004 and $200 million above the administration’s request.
While all of the funding levels for programs of particular interest to women and their families were not available as of press time, some highlights from the bill include:
Department of Justice
Under the bill, the Department of Justice would receive $20.6 billion, $900 million more than FY2004 and $901.7 million above the administration’s request.
Office of Justice Programs
As approved by the House on March 30, a bill (H.R. 3036) to reauthorize the Department of Justice would consolidate the Byrne Grant Program and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant into the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants program (see The Source, 4/2/04). The new program would receive $634 million in FY2005. Last year, the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant received $225 million.
Programs under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) would receive $384 million in FY2005, $4 million less than the FY2004 level and $1 million below the administration’s request.
The measure would provide $176 million for state and local crime laboratories to reduce and eventually eliminate backlogs of DNA casework samples. The amount is $76 million above the FY2004 level and $300,000 above the administration’s request.
The State Department
Under the bill, the State Department would receive $8.9 billion in FY2005, $770 million less than FY2004 and $80.4 million below the administration’s request.
Independent Agencies
The Legal Services Corporation would receive $335 million in FY2005, a $4 million decrease below FY2004 and $5.7 million more than the administration’s request. The measure would appropriate $335 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, $7 million more than FY2004, but $15 million below the administration’s request.
During consideration of the bill, the committee approved, by voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Obey specifying that none of the funds in the bill would be used to support or justify the use of torture by an official or contract employee of the federal government.
The committee rejected, 24-36, an amendment by Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) that would have provided $78.89 million for the Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) program and designated $78.89 million of the funding provided for the SBA disaster loan funding as emergency spending.
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs
On June 23, a House Appropriations subcommittee approved, by voice vote, the FY2005 Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
The measure would allocate $19.4 billion in FY2005, a $2.2 billion increase over FY2004, but $1.9 billion less than the administration’s request.
As requested by President Bush, $2.2 billion would be provided for HIV/AIDS prevention activities, $554 million more than FY2004. The total includes $400 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; $885 million in bilateral HIV/AIDS funding within the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund to finance ongoing programs; $1.3 billion for the Global HIV/AIDS Initiative; and $30 million for microbicides research and development.
The bill would provide level funding of $1.4 billion for development assistance programs administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The amount represents a slight increase above the administration’s request.
The measure would provide $1.25 billion for the new Millennium Challenge Corporation, $250 million below the administration’s request. Last year, Congress allocated $650 million for the Millennium Challenge assistance program.
The Peace Corps would receive $330 million in FY2005, a $5 million increase above the FY2004 level, but $71 million less than the administration’s request.
In her opening remarks, Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) said that the bill provided increased funding for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The administration’s budget would have provided level funding of $120 million and $1 million for these programs. She also stated, “I would like to register my displeasure that, once again, our bill fails to include language that will restore funding for the life-saving activities of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). I expect that there will be an amendment on this issue at Full Committee markup, and I hope my colleagues will support it.”
The full committee is expected to consider the bill on July 9.
Senate Action
Department of Defense
On June 24, the Senate approved, 98-0, the FY2005 Department of Defense spending bill (H.R. 4613). The text of S. 2559, as passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 22, was substituted for the bill.
The measure would allocate $416.2 billion for the Department of Defense in FY2005, a $48 billion increase over FY2004, $1.7 billion below the administration’s request, and $700 million less than the House approved on June 22. As requested by President Bush, $25 billion would be provided to partially cover the projected costs of continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill would provide $200 million for a Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program. The Senate Appropriations Committee report accompanying S. 2559 “directs the Secretary of Defense, in conjunction with the service Surgeons General, to select cancer research projects of clear scientific merit and direct relevance to military health. The projects being considered should include breast cancer, blood related cancers, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, providence cancer research project, and targeted nano-therapeutics for advanced breast and prostate cancer.” Last year, Congress allocated $150 million for the Army’s Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program and $10 million for ovarian cancer research.
The measure also would provide $50 million for a Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. According to the report, projects under the program could include diabetes research, lupus, osteoporosis and related bone diseases, and autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma.
As requested by the administration, the bill would allocate $6.641 million for military HIV/AIDS research programs.
During consideration of the bill, the Senate approved the following amendments by unanimous consent:
