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President Bush's budget proposal to Congress for fiscal year (FY) 2007 would cut domestic programs, including health and education, while moderately increasing funding for defense and homeland security. Specifically the proposal would:
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cut Medicare and Medicaid by $40.8 billion over five years;
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cut the total labor, health, and education appropriations (which does not include Medicare and Medicaid) by $3.8 billion in one year, a reduction of almost 3%; and
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reduce the federal share of IDEA to 17% (down from 19.7% two years ago)
The cuts to Medicare and Medicaid would most likely come at the expense of providers since it is unlikely that the Bush administration or Congress will cut benefits. Cuts in IDEA reduce the resources schools have to hire speech-language pathologists and audiologists to reduce caseload and manage paperwork.
It is important to remember that the President's budget proposal does not have the force of law. It is the start of the federal budget process. Congress will now begin their process that will end in the passage of spending bills that must be signed into law by the President.
These steep cuts are expected to face stiff opposition in Congress from supporters of health care and education. Released on Monday, February 6, the proposal has already drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
ASHA will continue to advocate for adequate funding for health care and education so that ASHA members have the resources needed to provide services to their patients and students. For further information, please contact Reed Franklin, ASHA's Director of Federal and Political Advocacy, via e-mail at rfranklin@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4473.
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