[Budget of the United States Government]
[VI. Investing in the Common Good: Program Performance in Federal Functions]
[31. Allowances]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 
                             31.  ALLOWANCES

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                                             Table 31-1.  ALLOWANCES
                                            (In millions of dollars)
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                                                                               Estimate
               Function 920                   1998   -----------------------------------------------------------
                                             Actual     1999      2000      2001      2002      2003      2004
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Spending:
  Discretionary Budget Authority..........  ........     7,577      -307   -47,652   -41,599   -20,491   -22,452
Mandatory Outlays:
  Proposed legislation....................  ........  ........  ........    -2,824    -3,917    -4,553    -4,688
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Resources Contingent upon Social Security Reform

  The budget assumes that Social Security will be reformed and that the 
surplus will be reserved until Social Security is reformed. Once Social 
Security has been reformed, additional resources would be made available 
for defense and non-defense discretionary spending. The budget request 
for the Department of Defense (DOD) provides for substantial program 
expansion to ensure adequate funding levels for national security. 
Increases in non-DOD programs ensure continuity for critical functions 
of core Government, and provide for a discretionary Reserve for Priority 
Initiatives for funding initiatives such as increasing funding for the 
National Institutes of Health by nearly 50 percent, and investments that 
raise student achievement and that protect Americans at home and abroad. 
If Social Security reform is not enacted, allowances reduce the defense 
and non-defense top lines to levels consistent with the discretionary 
caps for 2001 through 2004.

Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies

  This allowance will provide funding for unanticipated emergencies such 
as the response to the devastating damage caused to Central America by 
Hurricane Mitch.

Expected Release of Contingent Emergency Funding

  This allowance provides funding for the release of amounts already 
appropriated as contingent emergencies that are expected to be, but have 
not been released at the time of transmittal of the budget.

Tobacco Recoupment Policy

  U.S. taxpayers paid a substantial portion of the Medicaid costs that 
were the basis for much of the State settlement with the tobacco 
companies, and Federal law requires that the Federal Government recoup 
its share. This allowance recognizes that the Administration will again 
support legislation to waive direct Federal recoupment, if States agree 
to use a portion of funds from the settlement to support shared national 
and State priorities.

Adjustments to Certain Accounts

  This allowance provides for growth in the budgets of certain agencies 
at rates closer to historical levels.