Emergency funding requests highlight budget issues

The prospect of additional emergency spending items could complicate an already challenging appropriations cycle, which is lagging and probably will only make slight progress in September.

Emergency requests surfacing -- including supplemental funds for the U.S. Postal Service for anti-terrorism measures -- that could prove nettlesome this fall. Proponents are attempting to classify the funds as emergency spending to get around an fiscal 2005 discretionary spending cap of $821.9 billion -- which includes $500 million already budgeted for emergency wildfire suppression. With the possible exception of Capitol Police funds, other emergency items are likely to be resolved in post-election deliberations on an fiscal 2005 omnibus package, where smaller funding issues are more easily submerged.

In September, a shortfall in Capitol Police funding could drive speedy completion of the fiscal 2005 Legislative Branch bill after expected Senate passage of the fiscal 2005 Homeland Security measure, both of which could reach the president's desk before adjournment in October, a top Senate Republican aide predicted. Another possibility for quick passage is the fiscal 2005 Military Construction measure.

The Senate has all but abandoned plans to bring up an fiscal 2005 omnibus spending package next month given time constraints and competing priorities, such as judicial nominations and intelligence legislation. The chamber could stay in an extra week after the Oct. 1 target adjournment to complete unfinished business, including a continuing resolution to fund the government until after the elections, the aide said, sending senators home to campaign by Columbus Day.

The House has passed 10 out of 13 spending bills, with the $142.5 billion fiscal 2005 Labor-HHS measure slated for the floor the week of Sept. 7. After that, the VA-HUD and Transportation-Treasury spending bills remain, both of which could take considerable floor time, and House Appropriations Chairman Bill Young, R-Fla., has repeatedly said he will not introduce an omnibus package to send to the Senate until the House completes all 13 bills.

Conservatives are warily eyeing emergency spending requests, such as up to $380 million over the president's fiscal 2005 request of $4.8 billion for the low-income women, infants and children nutrition program, known as WIC, due to increased commodity prices. The House added $120 million while remaining within its Agriculture appropriations allocation of $16.8 billion, leaving a potential shortfall of up to $260 million congressional aides say could be added as emergency funds, although budget hawks are questioning whether the funds are necessary.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has been seeking support for $779 million in U.S. Postal Service funds over the budget request for biohazard detection and filtration equipment, which a Senate Budget Committee aide said would have to be designated as a "contingent emergency" -- where the president has to agree to spend the money -- to meet with their approval.

The White House has signaled it will not accept additional emergency requests unless "mutually agreed upon in advance" with Congress, according to an Aug. 4 letter from OMB Director Bolten to President Bush, urging him to concur with designating $25.9 billion of the $417.5 billion FY05 Defense spending bill as emergency funds.