November 16, 2001

House Panel Approves $20 Billion in Emergency Spending, Rejects Proposals for Additional Funding

Spurred on by Vice President Dick Cheney to hold the line against increases in emergency spending, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee Nov. 14 rejected several proposals to increase funding for the military, national security, and New York City.

The committee defeated a proposal offered by Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, to add $7.1 billion for increased homeland security, including $635 million for state and local health departments, $275 million for NIH for research on bioterrorism agents and to boost lab capacity and security, $40 million for SAMHSA for mental health needs, $125 million for CDC to strengthen lab capacity and communications, and $15 million for HRSA for public health training centers and laboratory technician training through the allied health program. The committee also defeated an amendment that would have increased emergency aid to New York City by $9.7 billion and a proposal by Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) to add $6.5 billion for defense spending, including chemical and biological defense.

The committee's actions leave almost intact the Administration's original $20 billion FY 2002 emergency supplemental package proposed on Oct. 17 as part of the $40 billion emergency spending agreement approved in September. This package includes $2 billion in additional funds for bioterrorism, $500 million above the Administration's request. Combined with the $393 million in the FY 2002 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed $2.4 billion for bioterrorism in FY 2002 - $2.1 billion over last year. Included is:

• $594 million to acquire medicines, supplies, and equipment for the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile to treat an additional 10 million persons, $50 million less than the request due to the savings negotiated over the purchase of antibiotics;
• $509 million to acquire 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine;
• $613 million for an immediate investment in achieving significant improvements in federal, state, and local bioterrorism preparedness. Funds will be used to develop and refine preparedness plans, expand medical, hospital, and public health response capacity, improve training, and enhance communication at the federal, state and local levels. This includes $423 million, $358 million over the request, to assist state and local health agencies address core public health capacity needs and to respond effectively to bioterrorist attacks;
• $170 million for HRSA to assist hospitals and emergency departments to prepare for incidents requiring mass immunization, treatment and casualties. This is $120 million over the President's request;
• $55 million in emergency recovery funding. Included is $10 million to provide treatment services to children and adolescents suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and develop improved screening assessments and service approaches to help children and youth recover from a traumatic event; and
• $50 million, not requested by the Administration, for next-generation vaccine research at NIH.

The $20 billion emergency spending bill will be attached to the FY 2002 defense appropriations bill, which will come to the House floor after Thanksgiving. It is expected that there will be attempts to offer some of the amendments defeated by the committee on the House floor.

Meanwhile, the continued uncertain status of the conference on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is hampering progress on the conference on the FY 2002 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. The Labor-HHS conferees cannot proceed until they know how much education money will be authorized in the ESEA bill. Appropriations staff suggest the Labor-HHS spending conference may not be completed until mid-December. Congress is expected to complete action on a fifth continuing resolution (CR) that would reportedly keep government programs running through Dec. 7. The current CR expires Nov. 16.

Information: Dave Moore or Erica Froyd, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.