As in years past, the largest increases in the President’s proposed budget are slated for national security programs: defense spending would rise 5% to $515 billion and homeland security would grow by nearly 11% primarily for border security. These gains would be offset by sizable savings proposed in Medicare and Medicaid AND with cuts to most other domestic discretionary programs.

Health Resources & Services Administration: The President’s budget proposes $5.9 billion for HRSA, a net decrease of $992 million below current funding. Most of the savings would be achieved by eliminating support for all Title VII health professions training and one of the nurse education programs (-$255 million) and terminating the Pediatric GME Program (-$302 million). The budget does include modest increases for the National Health Service Corps (+$11 million) and the Community Health Centers Programs (+$21 million).

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration: The budget proposes $3.2 billion, a decrease of $198 million below current funding. The budget includes an increase of $20 million for the substance abuse block grant for a total of $1.8 billion, an increase of $12 million for children’s mental health and $40 million for treatment courts. The mental health block grant would remain at $421 million.

The National Institute of Health would be level funded at $29.4 billion and the Centers for Disease Control would be reduced by $433 million to $8.8 billion.

Excerpts from Analysis: President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal Cavarocchi-Ruscio-Denis Associates (February 5, 2008)

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