Mr. Bush had released in February a budget outline touting spending increases for defense, education and other programs, and the House earlier this month passed a resolution following that plan. But until yesterday scant information has been revealed about the cuts Mr. Bush is proposing to keep discretionary spending growth to 4 percent. But seven Cabinet-level agencies, including Transportation, Justice, Interior and Energy, would see budget cuts of 5 percent to 13 percent. Individual programs in those and other departments would see even sharper reductions. The Department of Energy's research programs on energy efficiency would be cut 30 percent and its renewable energy program would be cut by 40 percent.
Programs never go away in Washington, and that's one of the reasons the government is so big.
Despite the spending increases, Democrats said Mr. Bush's education budget shortchanges students. But Democrats contend that the bulk of that money was requested by Mr. Clinton and appropriated in advance last year. Still, Mr. Bush's education budget increases funding for disadvantaged students and provides new money for annual testing of students in reading and math. The president's budget request consolidates existing education programs to reduce regulatory burdens while giving states and school districts flexibility to use federal funds to address education priorities, Education Secretary Rod Paige said. The president also has directed the Education Department to strengthen financial management to address audit deficiencies arising since 1995, modernize student aid delivery and management, and reduce student loan default costs to taxpayers.