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Obama proposes first federal budget
Friday, February 27, 2009
Filed Under: Politics

President Barack Obama proposed his first federal budget on Thursday, promising increases for Indian education, law enforcement and health care.

The fiscal year 2010 budget proposes $12 billion for the Interior Department, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs. While complete details have not been released, an additional $100 million is being sought for education and law enforcement.

"These funds will strengthen tribal courts, detention centers, and police programs to help Native Americans protect their communities," the White House Office of Management and Budget said.

"The budget also increases funding for tribal colleges and scholarships and provides funding earlier in the academic year, giving the colleges greater financial security," the White House said.

Over at the Department of Health and Human Services, Obama is seeking more than $4 billion for the Indian Health Service. "Investments in the Indian health system will focus on improving the health outcomes of American Indians/Alaska Natives and promoting healthy Indian communities," the budget states.

Today's outline comes after the passage of the $767 billion national stimulus. The package includes $2.5 billion for tribal health, education, infrastructure and other projects.

It also comes as Congress weighs the $410 billion Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The bill passed the House yesterday by a 245 to 178 vote, which was split largely along party lines.

The stimulus and the omnibus include significant boosts for Indian Country programs that were cut or eliminated during the Bush administration. The BIA is set to receive $2.1 billion, an increase of $140 million from current levels.

The bill funds the IHS with $3.6 billion, an increase of $235 million from current levels. It includes $36 million for urban Indian health, a program cut repeatedly during the Bush era.

Obama's budget seeks to reverse what he called the "misplaced priorities" the prior administration. He cited "loosened oversight and weak enforcement" of the financial markets amid tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

"This is the legacy that we inherit -- a legacy of mismanagement and misplaced priorities, of missed opportunities and of deep, structural problems ignored for too long," Obama said in his budget documents. "It's a legacy of irresponsibility, and it is our duty to change it."

FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act:
H.R.1105 | Text and Explanatory Statement | More Details

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
H.R.1 | S.1