A report recently released by the GAO indicates that with rising rates of supplemental appropriations comes decreasing budgeting transparency. Looking at supplemental requests - emergency and non-emergency - from 1997 to 2006, the report concludes:

To the extent possible, funds should be provided through the regular appropriations process to ensure that trade-offs are made among competing priorities, especially in an environment of increasingly constrained resources.

Voting along party lines - 12-10 -, the Senate Budget Committee has approved its FY 2009 budget resolution. The $3.1 billion resolution includes a one-year, non-offset $62 billion AMT patch. And at $472 billion, its non-defense, domestic top line is 2.2% more than Bush's $462 billion proposal.

The House budget resolution, legislation and statements

• Legislation

• Chairman's Mark
• Chairman's Mark Summary
• Budget resolution funding levels by function

• Statements

• House Budget Committee Chairman Spratt
• House Minority Leader Boehner
• Blue Dog Coalition

The Senate budget resolution, legislation and statements

• Legislation

• Chairman's Mark
• Chairman's Mark Summary

• Statements

Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Democrats released a report detailing the effects of the Bush Administration's Medicaid rule changes (one went into effect on Monday while several others are pending). According to the report, the new rules would cost state governments a total of $50 billion over five years - over three times the administration's $15 billion estimate. The report is the product of the House committee's request to states to estimate their expected federal funding losses due to the proposed Medicaid rule changes.