[Budget of the United States Government]
[II. Budget Highlights]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
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II. BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
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A New Approach to Budgeting
Moderate Growth in Government and Fund National Priorities:
Moderates recent rapid growth in spending, while funding
national priorities, paying down the debt, and providing tax
relief.
Strengthens and reforms education, granting the Education
Department the largest percentage spending increase of any
Department (11.5 percent increase in 2002).
Saves the entire Social Security surplus ($2.6 trillion) and
commits to reforming the program.
Spends every penny of Medicare tax and premium collections
over next 10 years only on Medicare. Modernizes and reforms
Medicare.
Restores commitment to military personnel and begins
transition to a 21st Century force structure.
Champions compassionate conservatism by supporting the
critical role that faith-based and community organizations
play in helping people at the local level.
Debt Reduction: Achieves historic levels of debt reduction, retiring the maximum amount of debt possible over 10 years ($2 trillion).
Tax Relief: Lets taxpayers keep roughly one-fourth of the surplus they produced ($1.6 trillion over 10 years).
By the Numbers:
Allocates projected $5.6 trillion surplus over 10 years.
Breakdown of surplus:
--Saves all of Social Security surplus ($2.6 trillion) for
Social Security.
--Provides $1.6 trillion in tax relief over 10 years.
--Creates an unprecedented $1.4 trillion reserve for
additional needs, debt service, and contingencies.
Produces a $231 billion total surplus in 2002.
Reduces historically high income tax burden.
Moderates recent explosive growth in discretionary spending to
4.0 percent growth in 2002, an increase of $26 billion over
2001.
Moderates growth in spending by making reductions in one-time
spending, unjustified programs, duplicative programs, and
programs that have completed their mission in 2002.
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A New Approach to Budgeting--Continued
Initiative Highlights:
K-12 Education. Increases funding for
elementary and secondary education by $1.9
billion in 2002 over 2001 funding.
Reading. Fully funds President's Reading
First initiative, including Early Reading
First, at $975 million in 2002, more than
tripling funding for reading.
Medicare. Sets aside $153 billion over the
next 10 years for the Immediate Helping
Hand initiative and Medicare
modernization.
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Continues commitment to double NIH, by
providing a $2.8 billion increase for NIH,
the largest annual funding increase in
NIH's history.
WIC. Funds the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC) at 7.25 million individuals
a month, maintaining current program
level.
Conservation. Provides the highest ever
request for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund - fully funding the
program at $900 million.
Energy Assistance. Nearly doubles the
existing Weatherization Assistance Program
providing an increase of $1.4 billion over
10 years.
Community Health Centers. Launches a
doubling of the number of people served by
Community Health Centers by adding 1,200
sites.
Provides tax relief to all Americans who
pay income tax.
Reduces the marriage penalty.
Ends the death tax.
R&D tax credit. Permanently extends the
research and development (R&D) tax credit.
Tax incentives. Provides other tax
incentives for education, farmers, the
disabled, health care, the environment,
and charitable purposes.
National Defense. Provides a $14.2 billion
increase in Department of Defense spending
in 2002 to begin to arrest the decline in
national security, including $1.4 billion
for military compensation to improve
quality of life and reenlistment and
retention of military personnel, $2.6
billion for research and development for
new technologies (including missile
defense alternatives), and $400 million to
improve housing for our military members
and their families.
International security. Improves embassy
security overseas, adding $1.2 billion.
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