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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Olivia Alperstein, Media Manager, Institute for Policy Studies,olivia@ips-dc.org

The President's Budget: Bush to Obama National and State Impact 2008-201

Focus on energy, education, healthcare and military

NORTHHAMPTION, Mass.

National Priorities Project (NPP) has released a comprehensive federal budget tool
which spans fiscal years 2008 to 2010, offering a comparison of the
Bush and Obama budgets, while highlighting economic stimulus spending
in 2009.

This tool offers both national and state-level numbers, with a focus on
energy, education, healthcare and military. It examines both the
quantity and quality of federal spending.

Key findings include:

Even modest increases in spending at the national level, such as a four
percent increase in Environment, Energy and Science from 2008 to 2010
can have a major impact at the state level. For example, Florida will
see an increase in funding for weatherization assistance from $2
million in 2008 to $89.7 million in 2010 (in constant dollars).

Education spending is down in 2010 relative to fiscal year 2008
primarily because subsidies to higher education lenders have been
eliminated. Yet students will receive more financial aid because
education spending will shift to direct loans.

States will see a jump in funding for the Children's Health Insurance
Program. For example, Massachusetts received $74.5 million in 2008 and
is proposed to receive $321.1 million in 2010.

Though military spending growth has slowed it claims twenty percent of discretionary and mandatory spending.

"In the FY2010 budget, President Obama offers us a meaningful and
positive step toward new national priorities. It is up to all of us to
engage with his administration and our federal and state elected
officials so that our voices are part of the national debate at such a
crtical - yet promising - time for our nation," notes Jo Comerford, NPP
Executive Director.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to https://nationalpriorities.org.