Once again, for the 5 th year in a row, the President's proposed budget for FY 2006 includes a 96 percent cut below last year's level of $300 million for the Title VII Health Professions Education Programs that include the Graduate Psychology Education Program. The Programs slated for elimination include most of the diversity programs and all the interdisciplinary programs including: Area Health Education Centers, Health Education and Training Centers, Geriatric Training, the Quentin Burdick Rural Training, and Allied Health Training. The President's budget does provide $10 million for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students and $1 million for Workforce Information and Analysis. Also included is level funding of $150 million for Title VIII nursing.

The President's budget does include $127 million ($5 million less than the $132 million for FY2006 for the National Health Service Corps, that is also administered by the Bureau of Health Professions and of which psychologists do participate. This is basically level funding since HRSA will no longer need to reimburse for tax payments to loan repayment participants as a result of new legislation that eliminates taxes on those loans.

Regarding the federal Community Health Center (CHC) Program, for which many of the National Health Service Corps participants are placed, the President's budget includes a request for $2.038 billion for FY2006, an increase of $304 million, as part of his five year commitment to double the program and create 1,200 new or expanded sites to serve an additional 6.1 million underserved persons.

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