Budget Proposals Call For Elimination of Bureau of Reclamation, $500 Billion Cuts Proposed

Now that the State of the Union address is over with, serious federal budget maneuvering has begun, especially in the House of Representatives. With President Obama expected to release his Fiscal Year 2012 budget request in mid-February, and with Washington insiders predicting it will contain ten to twenty percent across the board spending reductions, several competing proposals have already been voted on or are circulating around Washington, DC.

On January 25^th, the House passed H. Res. 38, by a vote of 256-165, a non-binding resolution, supported by the Republican leadership that places current Fiscal Year 2011 funding levels at previous 2008 levels.  In passing the resolution, House Republicans emphasized it puts them on record for deficit reduction of at least $100 billion.

Meanwhile, two Tea Party supporters, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-MN) released summaries of budget plans outlining $500 billion in budget cuts. Both plans call for the elimination of the Bureau of Reclamation, and at least a twenty-seven percent reduction for the Army Corps, and twenty-nine percent for the Environmental Protection agency.

A summary of the Paul proposal and copy of his draft bill can be found below.