Federal Watch: President Vetoes Funding Bill

Federal Watch: President Vetoes Funding Bill

President Bush on Tuesday vetoed Congress’ Fiscal 2008 funding bill (H.R. 3043) for the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education because its proposed spending level exceeds his budget request.

“This bill spends too much,” President Bush said in his veto message to the House. “It exceeds the reasonable and responsible levels for discretionary spending that I proposed to balance the budget by 2012. The Congress is on a path to spend $205 billion more over the next five years than I requested.”

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) said the veto jeopardizes funding for Title I grants for disadvantaged students, special education, school improvement grants, teacher quality grants, career and technical education, and other key programs that were slated to receive needed increases.

An override attempt will likely be made. To override the President’s veto, two-thirds of the House and Senate must vote for the measure, which is 290 members in the House and 67 members in the Senate.

NSBA is urging local board members to call, fax or email their U.S. Representative and urge an override of the veto of the H.R. 3043.

Both the House and Senate had cleared the conference report for the H.R. 3043. However, the White House had continued to oppose the bill because its proposed spending level exceeded the President’s budget request. Compared to the total federal budget of about $2.8 trillion, the bill’s proposed increases for education represent less than a 1 percent increase in spending from Fiscal 2007, according to NSBA.

For more information, go to NSBA’s Advocacy & Legislation online resources.

Reauthorization Bill Stalls In other federal news this week, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, announced that their committees will be unable to complete Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bills during this First Session of the 110th Congress. This will require the committees to intensify their efforts very early during the Second Session—if new legislation is to pass before this session of Congress adjourns at the end of 2008.

NSBA has expressed disappointment over the lack of progress and is urging local school board members—particularly those who live in the Congressional districts and states of education committee members—to advocate for a responsive and timely reauthorization bill.

New Jersey Congressman Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd District, is one of the newest bipartisan co-sponsors of H.R. 648, the reauthorization bill that reflects the input of local school boards from across the country.