President Bush will sign legislation this week setting a 2003 budget that raises federal spending by 7.8 percent over last year, capping a remarkable two years in which the federal budget increased by 22 percent.
Although Bush has made controlling spending a recurring theme in recent months, the $791.5 billion spending bill for 2003 that he plans to approve by Thursday night will be one for the record books. The 2003 rate of discretionary spending increases — the part of the budget subject to Congress’s annual oversight — will be the second-fastest since 1985. It is topped only by the 2002 increase, which included the government’s response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Seven-point-eight percent? Twenty-two percent? Remember when you said this, Mr. Bush:
We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. I will send you a budget that increases discretionary spending by 4 percent next year — about as much as the average family’s income is expected to grow. And that is a good benchmark for us. Federal spending should not rise any faster than the paychecks of American families.
What happened here? Am I missing something? Am I reading about different budgets? Everett Dirksen is rolling in his grave.