March 23, 2000

Rules Committee Sends FY'01 Budget Resolution to House Floor
Spending Levels Set at $596.5 billion, Space Science Funding Boosted by $1 Billion

WASHINGTON - The House Rules Committee late last night approved the floor procedures for House consideration today of an FY'01 Budget Resolution that sets discretionary spending at $596.5 billion, announced Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-CA), who said he was pleased the base text included a $1 billion overall increase in funding for the space science research funding account which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is part of.

"This budget sets a realistic plan to increase spending for education and defense and sets in place a plan to realistically pay down the debt," said Dreier, who noted the Budget Resolution originally produced by the House Budget Committee included a $500 million increase for space science research, which the Rules Committee then modified, adding $500 million for a $1 billion dollar total increase. "I'm very pleased that this Budget Resolution includes an increase in funding for the space program, from which JPL gets the bulk of its resources. My Southern California colleagues Jim Rogan and Steve Kuykendall played crucial leadership roles in support of this space program funding increase," said Dreier.

While not the actual legislative funding mechanism, the Budget Resolution is important because it sets out Congressional spending priorities, often serving as the basis from which the funding committees determine the actual dollar amounts. Dreier noted that the space program and JPL have both been targets in the past for budget cuts. Dreier outlined the Republican Budget Resolution, saying it would:

• provide $150 billion in tax relief over 5 years;
• eliminate the public debt by 2013, by paying down $3.6 trillion worth of the public debt;
• set aside $40 billion for Medicare reform and prescription drug coverage;
• provide 6% more than last year to $307.3 billion for our nation's defense in fiscal year 2001 ($1 billion more than the President's request); and,
• increase elementary and secondary education by $2.2 billion over last year (a 9.4 percent increase), and more than $20 billion over the next 5 years.

  The resolution will be debated for 3 hours, with the following substitute amendments made in order, to be debated for 40 minutes each: an amendment by Mr. Clyburn (D-SC), on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus; an amendment by Mr. DeFazio (D-OR), on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; an amendment by Mr. Stenholm (D-TX), on behalf of the Blue Dogs; an amendment by Mr. Sununu (R-NH), on behalf of the Conservative Action Team; and an amendment by Mr. Spratt (D-SC), the Democratic substitute. Further information is available at: http://www.house.gov/rules.

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