I smolder with generic rage.

So let's stop and take a look at the budget for a second, since I'm hardly ever right about things but I really want to take a moment to be sadly correct in my assumptions about Obama and his administration. First, some statistics. From the following two links, we can get good figures on the things that were cut in this budget "deal".

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/12/budget-deal-cuts/

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-12/epa-budget-cut-will-restrict-enforcement-of-clean-air-rules-activists-say.html


With those statistics, someone on a forum I frequent took the time to look back at the previous budget and show how much was cut as a percentage from these programs. It's important to take a look at both the dollar amount and that percentage, because it really tells where priorities are and what these fine folks in Congress believe aren't worth much. The first line in each category is the overreaching subject, with the breakdown of cuts underneath there to illustrate what portion of the program they're coming from.

But first, some kittens. You will thank me in a few minutes.

Total Cut: ~40 billion (3.67%)

• -Agriculture Cut: 3 billion (12.9%)
• ____-Food Safety and Inspection: 10 million (1%)
• ____-Agricultural Credit Program: 433 million (?%)
• ____-Agricultural Research Service: 64 million (?%)
• ____-National Institute for Food and Agriculture: 126 million (?%)

• -Commerce, Justice, Science Cut: 10.9 billion (17%)
• ____-Increased funding for National Institute of Standards and Technology $? (?%)
• ____-Increased funding for FBI and prisons $? (?%)
• ____-Justice Department Appropriations: 946 million (?%)
• ____-Commerce Department Appropriations: 6.5 billion (?%)
• ____-Prohibits funding for Establishment of a Climate Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, approval of new fisheries catch-share programs, and for NASA or the Office of Science and Technology Policy to engage in bilateral activities with China.

• -Defense Funding: Increased by 5 billion (1%). Also includes an additional 157.8 billion as emergency overseas contingency operations. No money is to be used on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to the US for any purpose, or to construct or modify US detention facilities for them. The Secretary of Defense must provide a certification to Congress that a transfer to a foreign entity will not jeopardize the safety of the US or it's citizens.
• ____-Defense Earmark Cut: 4.2 billion (100%)
• -Energy and Water Cuts: 1.7 billion (5.1%)
• ____-Increases National Nuclear Security Administration: 697 million (7%)

• -Financial Services Cut: 2.4 billion (10%)
• ____-Reduces funding for construction of new federal buildings: 800 million (?%)
• ____-Eliminates the use of Federal and local funds for abortions in DC: $? (?%)
• ____-Reauthorizes the DC Opportunity Scholarships, including increase of 2.3 million (?%)
• ____-Eliminates the "Health Care Czar", "Climate Change Czar", "Car Czar", and the "Urban Affairs Czar"

• -Homeland Security Cuts:
• ____-HS Discretionary spending: 784 million (2%)
• ____-FEMA first responder grants: 786 million (?%)
• ____-Eliminate earmarks: 264 million (?%)
• ____-Rescind previous years' unused funds: 557 million ?%)
• ____-Increases fund for expected and existing 2011 disasters: 1.05 billion (65.6%) This is more than what was removed from first responders, so there are more disaster funds total

• -Department of the Interior Cuts: 2.62 billion (8.1%)
• ___-EPA: 1.6 billion (16%)
• ___-Land and Water Acquisition Fund: 149 million: (33%)
• ___-National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for Humanity: 25 million (?%)

• -Labor, HHS, Education: 5.5 billion (3.36%)
• ___-Title X (Family Planning): 17 million (5.4%)
• ___-Additionally Students can no longer draw two Pell Grants at the same time, which will provide an expected savings of 35 billion over the next ten years.

• -LegislativeBranch: 103 million (?%)

• -Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Cuts: 3.3 billion (4.3%)
• ___-Includes Increase of 13.8 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (?%)

• -State and Foreign Operations: 504 million (1%)
• ___-Prohibits pay raises for foreign service officers.
• ___-Contributions to UN and other International Organization: 337 million (?%)
• ___-Contribution to international banks and financial institutions: 130 million (?%)
• ___-International family planning activities: 73 million (?%)
• ___-___-US Contribution to the UN Population Fund Cut: 55 million (100%) This was a fun one, the document stated that is was “reduced to the 2008 levels. I looked up the 2008 levels to find that they were 0. Way to be open and honest.
• ___-The bill also maintains pro-Life policy provisions carried in fiscal year 2010.

• -Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development: 12.3 billion (18%)
  ___-High Speed Rail: 2.9 billion (116%) No that is not a typo. This completely cuts new High Speed Rail spending, as well as rescinding 400 million from last year, which I’m guessing was available because Republican States repeatedly turned down the money.
  ___-Transit funding total cuts: 991 million (?%)
  ___-TIGER grant cuts: 72 million (12%)
  ___-“Contract authority rescissions” (?): 3.2 billion (?%)
  ___-___-Old earmarks cut: 630 million (?%)
  ___-Department of Housing and Urban Development Cuts: 942 million (21.2%)
  ___-Increases Housing voucher program: 200 million (1.1%)

First, a note from the guy who put this together: "All numbers and percentages are from 2010 fiscal year, which was always provided, not from Obama's budget request. When Obama's request was included it was generally higher than 2010 fiscal year spending, but not always. And yes, you read that right. The $40 billion budget cuts include $140 billion dollars of increased military spending." So thankfully, we've actually cut 180 billion and put 140 of it towards military spending for wars that the majority of Americans aren't really too happy with. Let's go ahead and keep that in mind the next time someone levels a "how dare you fund Planned Parenthood with tax money taken from people who don't agree with it" type charge at some program.

I want to comment on the second to last line (Dept. of HUD) because I think that others might share my viewpoints on several of these budget items - "well what does that mean?" In this particular case, HUD's cuts are going to be felt primarily twofold: Obviously, employees will likely get laid off or have their salaries reduced. Also funding for housing and development programs is going to get hit extremely hard. HUD gives a large deal of funding to NeighborWorks, which institutes training and development programs nationwide for housing preservation (the softer term for foreclosure prevention), community development, and homebuyer education. The funding that doesn't go to NeighborWorks goes to similar, local agencies that help consumers understand the potential pitfalls and benefits of ownership, dealing with their mortgage lender on a fair basis, cope with the financial challenges brought on by ownership, and help owners understand their options when faced with a possible foreclosure.

Without this funding, a lot of these agencies are going to shut their doors, because they're not-for-profit organizations, and funding/granting from other sources has dried up hardcore in the past couple of years. Many of them have already gone through the cutback/salary reduction/layoff cycle to stay afloat. This is just a nail in the coffin for most of those. Without these agencies, there is literally no resource for consumers who need what amounts to a lawyer to help them understand the above topics. No one does it.

As was mentioned above, with budget cuts comes cuts everywhere and everyone believes that their interest is the one that should be exempt. But given the relative proportion of funding lost compared to other categories (21% vs most other areas suffering in the single digits), I am at that now familiar crossroad of enraged and exhausted. It has a particular dark humor to it as well, considering these agencies exist specifically to try and help counter the large abuses that led to many of our current financial woes - and Congress has seen fit to let the abusers stay merrily afloat but cut the lifeline to these not-for-profits "for the greater good".