The President's proposed budget would spend $3.8 trillion in 2011, the fiscal year that starts October 1, 2010. But it would only bring in $2.2 trillion in revenue. Predictably, the Republicans are already howling over it, with predictable hypocrisy. With the past as a guide, you can expect Congress to make significant changes in that budget, and many of those will not come from the GOP side of the aisle.
Cuts would be made in the departments of justice, housing and urban development, commerce, health and human services, and agriculture.
Some highlights:
$25 billion for state governments to meet Medicaid costs.
$33 billion in additional funds this year for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a budget of $159 billion for those conflicts in 2011, $46 billion more than the 2010 budget. The overall increase in the 2011 vs. the 2010 Pentagon budget: $44 billion.
$28 billion for elementary and secondary education programs, a $3 billion increase.
$17 billion more for Pell grants to students in higher education.
$61.6 billion for civilian research and development, a $3.7 billion increase over this year.
$43.6 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, a 2% increase. This will include $734 million for 1,000 advanced imaging machines to enhance airport security.
$100 billion in small-business tax cuts.
$37 billion increase in taxes for oil and gas companies over the next nine years.
$20 billion saved through cuts in some 120 programs, including folding 38 education programs into 11, cutting the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures and Preserve America grant program, cutting the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative, which converts decayed former industrial sites to new uses, and getting rid of the Advanced Earned Income Tax Credit, which allows low-wage workers to get tax-credit checks in advance.
No return to the moon for NASA.
A boost in the top two tax brackets from 33% and 35% to 36% and 39.6%, respectively.
Families that make $250,000 or more would see their capital-gains and dividend tax rates rise from 15% to 20%.
Hedge-fund and private-equity traders now pay capital gains on their fees would be taxes at higher income-tax rates.
Corporations would pay extra taxes on overseas earnings, amounting to more than $120 billion over the next decade.
The budget can be seen here.