White House seeks $1 billion more in 2003 spending

The already complicated fiscal year 2003 appropriations process became more muddied Wednesday, as the White House submitted a $1 billion request for additional 2003 spending without offering any corresponding offsets, while Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., proposed an amendment to the 2003 Interior appropriations bill that could provide as much as $6 billion in drought relief that the administration has so far opposed.

The OMB amendment is made up of several provisions included in a $5.1 billion emergency package in the recently enacted fiscal 2002 supplemental spending bill. The White House refused to release that money on the grounds that it had too much pork and has now whittled the package to about $1 billion, which includes $200 million for international AIDS efforts, $200 million for aid to Israel, $50 million for Palestinian refugees and another $546 million for the Transportation Security Administration.

House appropriators in particular are miffed that OMB included no offsets for the request-meaning the money would count against the discretionary total provided for in the House deeming resolution unless leaders agree to release the funds.

"It puts us another $1 billion in the hole," said a House Appropriations Committee spokesman, who noted that it was unclear whether some of the request would be included in the fiscal 2003 Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which is scheduled for a subcommittee markup Thursday.

The administration's amendment follows last week's move to request $825 million in fiscal 2002 money to help the firefighting efforts in the West-after initially opposing extra firefighting funds because it had enough money to deal with the disaster.

"While we were getting lectures all summer about fiscal responsibility, the White House in the past week has sent up amendments for another $2 billion," noted the committee spokesman.

Meanwhile, Daschle's drought relief amendment will doubtless set up another confrontation with the White House over spending, as President Bush, in a speech in Daschle's home state of South Dakota last month, said he would not support additional relief for farmers other than funds provided for in the farm bill.

But Daschle said Wednesday that the farm bill does not provide relief due to economic disaster. His amendment would provide that relief on a formula basis, which aides said could run into the $6 billion range.

Responding to a request from Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.V., Daschle's amendment would count toward 2002 so as to help appropriators stay within their spending targets.