• President Obama’s Budget Plan Is Released

    February 14, 2011
    President Obama released his budget plan this morning for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The $3.7 trillion proposal would reduce deficits by $1.1 trillion over 10 years, partly through spending cuts -- ranging from heating subsidies for the poor to funding for the Pentagon -- and some tax increases.

    According to Obama administration budget documents that lay out highlights in funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the president's FY 2012 budget seeks to:

    • Provide $79.9 billion for HHS programming, a slight increase from current FY 2010 funding levels. Administration budget documents express that this proposed funding supports administration priorities like implementation of the Affordable Care Act, biomedical research, and Head Start and that savings are achieved through reductions in the Community Services Block Grant and home energy assistance.
    • Support new consumer protections and review of unreasonable premium increases, expand coverage for uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions, and provide fund programs to hold health insurance companies more accountable to their enrollees.
    • Invest approximately $3.5 billion for discretionary HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities across the Department to expand access to affordable health care and prevention services and align activities with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
    According to the budget documents, the Department of Justice (DOJ) would:
    • Receive $28.2 billion in funding, a 2 percent increase above FY 2010. Budget documents express that this proposed DOJ funding would include strong funding for federal law enforcement efforts, including FBI operations, corrections officers, and prosecution. The FY 2012 DOJ budget seeks to achieve savings by streamlining operations along with reducing local and state grants and technology projects.
    • Receive funds aimed at addressing the federal prison population through sentencing reform and expanded reentry programming.

    We will be analyzing specific proposals in the President’s FY 2012 budget for people with drug and alcohol histories, criminal records and HIV/AIDS in the coming days and will keep you posted on any developments.

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