The President's Increases in Education and Training Programs: Are They Temporary Increases that Would Be Replaced With Cuts After One Year?

Publication Date: September 2004

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

Author(s): Martha Coven; Richard Kogan; Robert Greenstein

Research Area: Banking and finance

Keywords: Economic projections; Fiscal future; Federal budget

Type: Report

Abstract:

In his acceptance speech September 2, President Bush indicated that he planned to increase a number of education and job training programs “to help workers take advantage of the expanding economy to find better and higher-paying jobs.” In many of these areas, the President’s current budget proposes modest funding increases for fiscal year 2005, which starts October 1. But as Center analyses issued earlier this year explain, Administration budget documents show that the Administration’s budget calls for cuts after 2005 in nearly all of the programs that the President cited in his speech as programs he plans to expand. (In some cases, these budget documents contain information for the “budget account” that includes the program rather than for the program itself.) In addition, budget guidance that the President’s Office of Management and Budget issued to all federal agencies in May instructs the agencies to comply with the budget documents outlining these cuts and to reflect these reductions in the budget requests that they prepare for fiscal year 2006.

It is not clear whether the President is changing his existing budget plans in these areas to add new resources. He may not be. Since February, the Administration has been claiming its proposals would expand these programs. These claims are based on planned increases for 2005. In making these claims, the Administration has not mentioned that its budget plans call for cutting these same programs — and by larger amounts — in subsequent years.