** High Priority **
This information is sent to GN Practice Group members per permission
from NANASP by Bob Blancato.
Washington Bulletin
April 1, 2003
Since the last Bulletin, the world has changed dramatically. On March
19, Operation Iraqi Freedom began and it continues today. Much of the
remaining agenda for 2003 will be determined by the length of this war.
In addition to the start of the war, Congress continues to move
steadily forward in two areas: the Budget Resolution for FY 2004 and the
Supplemental Appropriations bill for FY 2003.
FY 2004 Budget Resolution
Both the House and Senate have passed Budget Resolutions for FY 2004.
They are considerably different in the most important of areas. The
House-passed budget assumes the full amount of President Bush's Economic
Growth package, or $726 billion over ten years, for new tax cuts and
making permanent previously approved tax cuts. The Senate reduced the
amount to $350 billion.
Another important number to consider is the amount contained in each
resolution for discretionary spending for FY 2004. The House Resolution
contained the lowest level of $775 billion. This was even lower than the
White House proposal of $787 billion. The Senate Budget Resolution
established the level at $791 billion.
A House-Senate Conference on the Budget Resolutions is expected to
begin this week in Washington. How these major differences are resolved
will have a great bearing on the appropriation levels for different
programs for FY 2004.
Budget resolutions by their nature are broad in scope and often it is
difficult to determine precise funding levels by program. However,
research done by the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations
determined that the House-passed Budget resolution would result in cuts
of $663 million for the Social Services Block Grant in FY 2004 and some
$92 billion in cuts in Medicaid.
NANASP has joined on an LCAO letter to all Senators and
Representatives opposing these particular cuts.
FY 2003 Supplemental Appropriations Bill
Another important number that was presented in Washington in the past
week was $74.7 billion. That is the Bush Administration estimate of how
much will be needed just in the remaining months of this fiscal year for
the Iraq war effort, the war on terrorism and homeland security. This is
contained in the Supplemental Appropriations bill for FY 2003. This bill
is headed for swift action in both the House and Senate. If the focus of
the Supplemental Appropriations bill remains just for these categories,
efforts to restore funding for the Congregate Nutrition program will
have to wait for the FY 2004 appropriations cycle. NANASP will continue
to monitor this.
Medical Nutrition Therapy
On March 12, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) along with Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA),
J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Lee Terry (R-NE), John
Tanner (D-TN), Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Martin Frost (D-TX) introduced
H.R. 1225 to expand medical nutritional therapy services covered under
Medicare to those with cardiovascular disease. A companion Senate bill,
S. 632, was introduced on March 17 by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), along
with Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), John Warner (R-VA), Susan Collins
(R-ME), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), and John Rockefeller (D-WV). Currently MNT
services are provided only for beneficiaries with diabetes and renal
disease.
NANASP supported the original bill on MNT and sees its expansion as a
critically important next step. There are currently 39 cosponsors in the
House and 5 in the Senate. A list of the cosponsors can be found online
by going to http://thomas.loc.gov and entering the bill number. If your
Representative or Senators are not yet cosponsors, please make contact
with them to urge that they cosponsor the MNT bill.
Faith-Based Initiative Moving Forward
Within the past week a compromise was reached to allow the so-called
"faith-based initiative" legislation to move forward. The compromise
involved dropping the provisions that would have given protections to
faith-based groups which would have allowed them to maintain their
religious identity while receiving federal money. The compromise bill
does retain the provision to increase funding for the Social Services
Block Grant by $1.4 billion over two years. House and Senate action is
expected soon on this bill.
Board Meeting
The NANASP Board of Directors convened its Spring Board meeting in
Washington, DC, from March 19-21. A highlight of the meeting was the
opportunity to honor Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut with
NANASP's 2003 Public Policy Star Award. The Congresswoman was honored
for her work to include language in the FY 2003 Agriculture
Appropriations bill that protects NSIP funds from match requirements and
administrative fees and maintains access to commodities. To read
NANASP's press release on the award, go to www.nanasp.org.
LCAO Activities
As a member of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, NANASP
was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on April 1 with
Senators Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to help set
the priorities of the Subcommittee on Aging of the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions. NANASP was sure to include in its list of
2003 priorities the need for increased funding in the Older Americans
Act nutrition programs, continued monitoring of the transfer of the NSIP
from USDA to AoA, support of MNT, and increased
funding for senior transportation. We will continue to work with
Senators Bond and Mikulski and their staffs on issues of importance to
NANASP members.
Other Washington Bulletins...
Last modified Tuesday, April 01, 2003.
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