PRESS RELEASE
-For Immediate Release-
January 31, 2007

Contact: Brian Gumm, (202) 234-8494, bgumm@ombwatch.org

Congress Takes Good First Step in Joint Funding Resolution
Democrats Address Important Priorities, but More Work Left to be Done

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2007—OMB Watch today applauded House and Senate Democrats for coming one step closer to bringing the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations process to a close. The just-unveiled Joint Resolution calls for restoring funding for high-priority programs, elimination of scores of wasteful “earmarks,” and progress toward a fair and open budget process that invests in our nation’s priorities.

The House is expected to vote today on the Joint Resolution for FY 2007, which will provide $463.5 billion for the discretionary programs for which the last Congress had failed to pass funding. The total is in keeping with the tight FY 2007 budget cap.

Last session, Congress failed to pass nine out of 11 appropriations bills for FY 2007. As a result, the new Congressional leadership must take up the remaining funding issues now — nearly four months into the fiscal year. This delay has caused confusion and cutbacks in numerous government agencies.

"The last Congress left a big mess for the new leadership to clean up. They did as well as could be expected under the circumstances,' said Adam Hughes, Director of the Fiscal Policy Program at OMB Watch, "but there is more work to be done."

The new joint resolution will be a vast improvement over the old continuing resolution enacted during the previous Congress. The joint resolution eliminates funding for scores of earmarked projects. It restores funding for Pell Grants, community health centers, housing assistance, and Head Start, among other priorities. Many of these investments would have been inadequately funded in bills that failed to pass last session.

However, funding for other important services remains dangerously low. Many areas, including child care, have been deeply cut since 2000. Funding for other programs has not kept pace with the rate of inflation and population growth. And revenues over the long and short term are projected to fall short of the level we need to pay for these investments.

"Congress has an obligation to make funds available for critical national priorities, and it has an obligation to do so through a fair, open, and responsible process. The new resolution is a good first step, but there is much more work left to be done if we are to continue to sufficiently invest in neighborhoods and communities across the country," said Hughes.

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