New budget allocations include steep cuts at some agencies

Programs funded by the Labor-HHS and Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bills could face major shortfalls under the revised allocations for the 11 remaining fiscal 2003 appropriations bills, according to a copy of those allocations obtained by CongressDaily.

The new allocations, which are not final, were worked out between House and Senate staff over the December recess, with the intent that both sides would try to live within them and the overall 2003 discretionary level of $750.5 billion set by President Bush.

If the Senate can complete its organization process itself in time, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is planning to mark up the new spending bills Friday, likely using the revised allocations. The bills will then be taken to the floor and attached to a placeholder continuing resolution that would be sent back to the House for conference and eventual passage.

But the Senate markup-and indeed, the floor action to follow-may be rough going, given the proposed reductions to some of Congress' favorite programs and the likelihood that Democrats will offer amendments to increase funding.

For instance, the new allocation for the Labor-HHS appropriations bill, which funds a host of science and education programs, is nearly $2.7 billion less than the Senate's original allocation, not counting emergencies, while the Commerce-Justice-State spending bill is $2.13 billion less than the Senate allocation. Overall, the allocations are similar to those originally produced in the House, although the Interior bill would face a shortfall of nearly $780 million.

The new allocations are as follows:

• Agriculture: $17.4 billion, a reduction of $650 million from the House bill and $580 million less than the Senate.
• Commerce-Justice-State: $41.34 billion, a $220 million increase over the House but $2.13 billion less than the Senate.
• District of Columbia: $512 million, $5 million less than the House and Senate.
• Energy and Water: $26.16 billion, a $140 million increase over the House but $140 million less than the Senate.
• Foreign Operations: $16.25 billion, a reduction of $300 million from the House bill but only $100 million less than the Senate.
• Interior: $18.95 billion, $780 million less than the House but just $30 million less than the Senate.
• Labor-HHS: $131.4 billion, $500 million greater than the House but $2.7 billion less than the Senate.
• Legislative Branch: $3.36 billion, $51 million less than the House and Senate.
• Transportation: $21.2 billion, $340 million more than the House but $400 million less than the Senate.
• Treasury: $18.2 billion, $80 million less than the House but $280 million less than the Senate.
• VA-HUD: $90.35 billion, $640 million less than the House and about $1.1 billion less than the Senate.