# Bush Budget Calls for Law Enforcement Cuts



## reno911_2004 (May 13, 2004)

Bush Budget Calls for Law Enforcement Cuts

White House - AP

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites)'s budget will propose *slashing grants to local law enforcement agencies* and cutting spending for environmental protection, American Indian schools and home-heating aid for the poor, The Associated Press learned Saturday.

Bush molded the roughly $2.5 trillion spending plan for 2006 as a response to a string of record federal deficits, and is sends it to Congress on Monday.

The budget, the toughest he has written since entering the White House four years ago, seeks about half the increase for school districts in low-income communities he requested last year and a slight reduction for the National Park Service.

Many proposals face an unclear fate in Congress, where members of both parties are sure to defend favorite initiatives. Democrats blame the cuts on the tax reductions Bush has enacted and say that other items his budget omits - a Social Security (news - web sites) overhaul and costs for wars in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites) - will only make matters worse.

"What it will lead to is growing pressure for draconian cuts," Sen. Kent Conrad (news, bio, voting record) of North Dakota, the Senate Budget Committee's top Democrat, said Saturday. "It's inescapable, the course he's led us on, whether it's this year or next year, is for very, very heavy cuts."

Bush has said his budget will assemble federal resources for war, domestic security and other priorities and cull inefficient or redundant programs. Administration officials have said he will hold overall nondefense spending - excepting domestic security - to less than next year's expected 2.3 percent increase in inflation, meaning the programs will lose purchasing power.

"I stand with the president that we need to eliminate wasteful spending and we need to look through all the programs," said House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa. "There's no question that's not the easiest thing to do in Washington."

The details obtained Saturday are the latest in a budget that will also seek savings from programs ranging from Amtrak and farmers' subsidies to Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled.

According to figures obtained by the AP,* Bush would slice a $600 million grant program for local police agencies to $60 million next year*. Grants to local firefighters, for which Congress provided $715 million this year, would fall to $500 million.

He would eliminate the $300 million the government gives to states for incarcerating illegal aliens who commit crimes. It's a proposal he has made in the past and one that Congress has ignored. Also gone would be assistance for police departments to improve technology and their ability to communicate with other agencies.

The Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites)'s $8.1 billion would drop by $450 million, or about 6 percent, with most of the reductions coming in water programs and projects won by lawmakers for their home districts.

The Bureau of Indians Affairs would be sliced by $100 million to $2.2 billion. The reduction would come almost entirely from the agency's effort to build more schools.

The $2.2 billion program that provides low-income people - in large part the elderly - with home-heating aid would be cut to $2 billion. Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., said the reduction would be "wrong-headed an inappropriate," especially with this season's jump in oil prices. White House budget office spokesman Chad Kolton said Bush has added hundreds of millions of dollars to the program since taking office and said his budget will provide "adequate resources to make sure we can assist low-income Americans."

The park service's budget would drop nearly 3 percent to $2.2 billion, largely due to a reduction in its construction account.

Several cultural agencies will get about the same as this year's levels, including the Smithsonian Institution (news - web sites) and the national endowments for the arts and humanities, which distribute money to local groups.

Even on the plus side, Bush's budget will show constraint compared with previous years. That in part reflects his pledge to cut last year's projected $521 billion in half by 2009. One lawmaker said the budget will estimate that year's shortfall at about $230 billion - well under the record $427 billion it will project for 2005.

Bush will seek about 5 percent more, or about $600 million, for the $12.8 billion program for low-income area school districts. Last year, he requested a $1 billion increase.

Defense Department documents obtained Friday show the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s budget would grow by 4.8 percent to $419.3 billion - $3.4 billion less than he planned to seek for 2006 a year ago.

Other areas would fare better.

The Coast Guard - now part of the Homeland Security Department - will get $8.1 billion, $600 million over this year. Included will be a healthy increase for its plans to buy more oceangoing vessels, a boon to the new chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss., in whose state many of the ships are built.

Community health centers would grow to over $2 billion, an increase of $304 million, or almost 18 percent, over this year. Bush said he wants to every poor county to have one of the centers, which are used heavily by the poor.


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

I don't see anything shocking here..........................
Good to see the Coasties and DOD getting an increase. And 600 million more for low income school districts, education is a good thing right?
:roll:


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## Mitpo62 (Jan 13, 2004)

Slice and dice. It's the Republican way. :shock:


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## reno911_2004 (May 13, 2004)

I'm wondering about that $600 mil that's being cut to $60 mil. What effects will be had on the LECs? (If any) I have no idea what percentage are supported by federal grant money, or if this is part of that money, but it should be interesting...


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## goirish (Dec 22, 2002)

The majority, if not all, of that $600 million being cut to $60 million is from Community Oriented Policing ("COP") grants. Bush has cut the program repeatedly since he came into office and its getting an even bigger cut this time around.


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## JeepinWeezle (Dec 9, 2004)

So much for wanting to protect the homeland! lol what a joke


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## stm4710 (Jul 6, 2004)

Federal money should*NOT* be used to *SUPPORT* police and fire departments. It is a local and state issue. Your community should have the amount of protection it is willing afford. Its your *SELECTMAN and MAYORS* you should be mad at. The Republican mantra is for local and state control and less federal involvement.

Why should* MY* tax dollars be going to bloated grants so "Hicksville TN----population:yall" can buy a 2 million dollar command post so they can manage the trout fishing and have something to put in a parade. Why should *MY* taxes support programs in Los Angeles or Miami???? What benefit am I getting????? Why should we support this, while the MSP is being thinned out? When someone is breaking into my house is the COPS grant that Walla Walla Washington got going to help me? NO! We are sending a message to our city and state bodies that they can cut off funding because we can rely on the fed's money coming in.

Police and Fire services are local departments and should be funded locally. Grants are for the time when you need help buying *NECESSARY* equipment. You cant believe how many times I see a 3 building town in AZ get a FIRE ACT grant and get a new super fire truck while many FD's that do more than gas and donut runs are barely able to maintain their 35 year old trucks!
:x

Hey here is an idea....lets tell out politicians at the local and state level to fund what we already have,stop playing games,stop taking food out of our family's mouths and the bottom wont fall out every time the fed money stops. :!:

Rant Off.


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## Mitpo62 (Jan 13, 2004)

Wow, sure is W A R M in this thread......... 8)


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## Macop (May 2, 2002)

stm4710, what the hell are you talking about. I worked for a small towns and if were not for federal money we would not have had half way decent cars to use not to mention other basci eqipment. Let me tell you from my experience in working in Wmass those small towns need that money to help survive and buy the basic eqipment that larger depts take for granted. Why should you tax dollasr pay, well move to a small town and look at the sad ass eqipment the Police/Fire have to use when responding to a call. and you might figure it out.

Did you ever think about why hicksville, TN may need eqipment like a command post or something along those lines. Here is a example hero. The small town I worked in along with the other small surrounding towns were near a nuke plant. Thus we had a few concerns, terrorist attacks, melt downs and other disasters that all far to possible. How the hell do you expect these Police and Fire agencies to deal with possible situations that could very well occur. You can't say wait for State or other the feds or other larger agencies when those small town agencies are, and this may sound strange to ya FIRST RESPONDERS and are not gonna be able to do dick if the shit hits the fan. Those small agencies rely on those grants because they can't afford some essential eqipment on thier small budgets.


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## stm4710 (Jul 6, 2004)

Macop";p="55949 said:


> stm4710, what the hell are you talking about. I worked for a small towns and if were not for federal money we would not have had half way decent cars to use not to mention other basci eqipment. Let me tell you from my experience in working in Wmass those small towns need that money to help survive and buy the basic eqipment that larger depts take for granted. Why should you tax dollasr pay, well move to a small town and look at the sad ass eqipment the Police/Fire have to use when responding to a call. and you might figure it out.
> 
> Did you ever think about why hicksville, TN may need eqipment like a command post or something along those lines. Here is a example hero. The small town I worked in along with the other small surrounding towns were near a nuke plant. Thus we had a few concerns, terrorist attacks, melt downs and other disasters that all far to possible. How the hell do you expect these Police and Fire agencies to deal with possible situations that could very well occur. You can't say wait for State or other the feds or other larger agencies when those small town agencies are, and this may sound strange to ya FIRST RESPONDERS and are not gonna be able to do dick if the shit hits the fan. Those small agencies rely on those grants because they can't afford some essential eqipment on thier small budgets.


Orignally posted by me from the last post.


> Grants are for the time when you need help buying NECESSARY equipment.


 :roll:


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## PearlOnyx (Jun 28, 2002)

The economic principle is that STM refers to, in a bigger scheme of things makes sense. Cut spending at the federal level and eventually cut federal taxes thereby putting more money in the citizen's hands to spend on local programs which directly effect them. In theroy under this design the citizens of that local town would eventually be able to pay for the equipment themselves using the money saved from federal taxation. Local citizens paying for local services, not Joe Blow from Arkansas paying for a police cruiser in Podunk, MA.


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## JeepinWeezle (Dec 9, 2004)

stm4710";p="55778 said:


> Federal money should*NOT* be used to *SUPPORT* police and fire departments. It is a local and state issue. Your community should have the amount of protection it is willing afford. Its your *SELECTMAN and MAYORS* you should be mad at. The Republican mantra is for local and state control and less federal involvement.
> 
> Why should* MY* tax dollars be going to bloated grants so "Hicksville TN----population:yall" can buy a 2 million dollar command post so they can manage the trout fishing and have something to put in a parade. Why should *MY* taxes support programs in Los Angeles or Miami???? What benefit am I getting????? Why should we support this, while the MSP is being thinned out? When someone is breaking into my house is the COPS grant that Walla Walla Washington got going to help me? NO! We are sending a message to our city and state bodies that they can cut off funding because we can rely on the fed's money coming in.
> 
> ...


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

PearlOnyx";p="56006 said:


> The economic principle is that STM refers to, in a bigger scheme of things makes sense. Cut spending at the federal level and eventually cut federal taxes thereby putting more money in the citizen's hands to spend on local programs which directly effect them. In theroy under this design the citizens of that local town would eventually be able to pay for the equipment themselves using the money saved from federal taxation. Local citizens paying for local services, not Joe Blow from Arkansas paying for a police cruiser in Podunk, MA.


Unfortunately that is not the way it works. If it wasn't for federal grants, numerous departments in Massachusetts would not have all the equipment and new officers they have now. If it wasn't for deferal grants, lots of departments would still be without computers at the station and laptops in their cruisers. Most town could care less about these items and would not spend $30000 for Packetcluster of $75000 for IMC software. Just like your tax money pay for other programs and the military, then this is how it's paid for. And I don't recall any federal grants that allows departments to purchase new vehicles, mostly they are for equipment and personnel.


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## topcop14 (Jul 13, 2004)

The cops grants did some good but in a lot of ways they were a sham. The Demarats like to claim that they put 100,000 cops on the street. All those on the job no that that was a joke as the politicians play games with the numbers. My department has less officers now then before the grants came out. Officers leave the department so the town administrator does not fill position so now the department is more short staffed then it already was. Then the grants come out depts add a few officers and now they have as many officers as they had a year or two before. and the cycle starts again.
The SRO "Stupid Retarded Officer" or if you prefer "Semi Retired Officer program is the same. The grant was supposed to add an officer but in my department it took an officer off the street and stuck him in the school. 
It all goes in cycles. The money comes and the money goes.


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## frapmpd24 (Sep 3, 2004)

Wolfman";p="56070 said:


> Odds are if it was up to our politicians to disburse all the funds, you'd have a rat infested rundown police station and a state-of-the-art needle exchange center in every town.


Thats the sad case of how elected officials work in so many cases. On a local level, I hate to think if all distribution of funds was in the hands of town officials instead at a town meeting. We would never get a new station, be wearing hand me down uniforms from the 1960's, with one cruiser and everyone else on foot to "cut costs" while pumping the money into some survey to count the trees in town or other rediculous idea.

On the federal level, money keeps going toward needle exchange programs, illegal aliens getting handouts from the government (while our own citizens get screwed), and all these other BS programs. Because people cannot handle their own lives the government pays them. How about getting a job, getting off the drugs. Tough sh*t, they started taking them, get off on their own. Why do I need to pay for that? Its not my drug habbit. What happens instead, these programs stay and they cut additional funding for public safety. The worst part about it is the same politicians that claim "public safety" and "safer streets" are the first ones to cut the funding :evil:.

:sb:


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## massirishcop (Apr 3, 2004)

I guess homeland security went out the window.... How quickly everyone forgets Sept 11........what a shame.


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