Central New Yorkers will see effects of President Obama's budget cuts

The Post-Standard related the impact of the President's proposed budget and cuts involved:

When President Barack Obama unveils his budget today for the fiscal year that begins in October, Central New Yorkers will likely see the deepest federal spending cuts since Obama was elected in 2008.

The president’s spending plan will cut sharply into programs that affect the water that Central New Yorkers drink, provide heating assistance for the poor and keep roofs over the heads of Syracuse residents.

The proposed cuts could set up a one-two blow for local governments that count on the federal aid.

House Republicans have promised to move forward this week with budget cuts of $100 billion for the remaining seven months of this fiscal year.

The combination of cuts has already alarmed one local congressman, Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, who thinks it is unfair to eliminate or deeply cut entire federal programs, said his spokesman, Sean Magers.

“Congressman Owens is not in favor of slashing programs completely,” Magers said. “He would rather see across-the-board cuts that share the pain equally. That would minimize the impact of the cuts on any one agency.”

For now, Obama is proposing a series of sharp cuts to specific programs — all aimed at bringing the ballooning federal deficit under control as government borrowing approaches the $14.3 billion limit set by law.




Today's budget

The public can view President Obama's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012 later this morning by visiting the website: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/

There you can find an agency-by-agency breakdown of the president's spending blueprint. The Office of Management and Budget will include fact sheets that break down the impact of the budget for New York state.


Obama wants a five-year freeze on discretionary spending to reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over 10 years.

Among the president’s proposals that would hit hard in Central New York:

• Social grants. A 50 percent cut in the $700 million annual budget for grants that support community organizations in poor neighborhoods, such as P.E.A.C.E. Inc. in Syracuse.

• Housing grants. A 7.5 percent, or $300 million, reduction in annual Community Development Block Grants. The grants support housing, sewer and street projects in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.

• Great Lakes. A nearly 25 percent, or $125 million, reduction in the federal share of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which supports the cleanup and restoration of the Great Lakes and their tributaries.

• Heating aid. A nearly 50 percent cut of $2.5 billion from an energy assistance fund for poor people, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. The 2009 authorized level was $5.1 billion for the program, which helps pay heating and air conditioning bills.

Read more here.