Both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have now passed President Bush's budget and can now proceed to fund government programs and provide some tax relief to the American people. Official projections show there is a surplus in the federal budget. The next step is allocation of the surplus. A great virtue of the President's budget is its commitment to paying down our national debt. In addition to much-needed tax relief and debt reduction, this budget would raise spending on important and necessary programs by almost 60 percent.
Education is a priority for America's future.
Recognizing this, the President has asked for an increase in education spending and a tripling of available funding for reading programs over the next five years. These funds will help train and recruit quality teachers, promote reading for all children, and improve the quality of public schools across the country. Most importantly, federal programs will be streamlined so that states and local school districts will have more control over where these resources will be applied. The President's plan will also provide for new weapons based on leading edge technologies, rather than spending large sums of money to update old weapons systems. Our health-care system is, of course, another priority.