The 2008 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill: Is the Threatened Veto Justified?

Publication Date: July 2007

Publisher: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Richard Kogan

Research Area: Banking and finance

Keywords: Economic projections; Federal budget; Fiscal future

Type: Report

Abstract:

To judge whether funding for this bill — and for the 11 other appropriations bills — is excessive, we compare the funding levels that the pending appropriations bills contain for 2008 with the funding levels enacted for the years from 2002 through 2006, when Republicans generally controlled Congress and the President signed every appropriations bill presented to him. (We exclude emergency appropriations from this analysis, such as for the Iraq War or Katrina relief. We adjust prior funding level for inflation and population growth to make them comparable with 2008 funding levels; see the box on page 4.) We also compare funding growth for the seven appropriations bills that the Administration has signaled the President is likely to veto, such as the Labor-HHS-Education bill, with funding growth for the five bills the President has indicated he likely will sign.