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A Look at Obama’s Final Budget Proposal for 2017


obaPresident Barack Obama proposed a record $4.1 trillion budget on Tuesday. Here’s a look at each agency and department:

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AGRICULTURE

Up or down? Down 5.3 percent

Highlight:

— Obama’s budget for the Agriculture Department includes a proposed $12 billion over 10 years to help feed schoolchildren from low-income families during the summer. Nearly 22 million low-income children receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but just a fraction of those kids receive meals when school is out. Benefits under the proposed program would be loaded onto a debit card that can only be used for food at grocery stores.

The numbers:

Total spending: $155.4 billion, including spending already required by law for food stamps, other government nutrition programs and farm subsidies.

Spending that needs Congress’ annual approval: $24.2 billion.

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HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Up or down? Up 3 percent

Highlight:

— Responding to an epidemic of heroin addiction and abuse of prescription painkillers, Obama’s budget would provide $1 billion in new funding over the next two years for states to help more people get and complete treatment. The money would be allocated to states based on the severity of the epidemic and the strength of their strategy. The budget also includes $500 million in new funding to increase access to treatment for people with serious mental health problems.

The numbers:

Total spending: $1.15 trillion

Spending that needs Congress’ annual approval: $78 billion.

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TRANSPORTATION

Up or down? Up 25.8 percent

Highlight:

— Obama’s 21st Century Clean Transportation Plan includes $400 million a year for 10 years to help speed the deployment of self-driving vehicles, $10 billion a year to boost construction of new transit projects and $7 billion a year on high-speed rail projects. Congress has previously rejected new money for high-speed rail.

The numbers:

Total spending: $95.4 billion, including spending already required by law on highway and transit aid to states.

Spending that needs Congress’ annual approval: $12 billion

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ENERGY DEPARTMENT

Up or down? Up 6.8 percent

Highlight:

— As part of a pledge following the 2015 Paris climate summit to double spending on clean energy research and development by 2021, the budget would spend $7.7 billion government-wide for a range of clean energy investments, including $5.8 billion in the Energy Department. The figure is a 20 percent increase over current spending money and includes more than $2 billion to boost energy efficiency and renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power.

The numbers:

Total spending: $30.8 billion

Spending that needs Congress’ annual approval: $30.2 billion

(AP)



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