)
"SER VING THE
SID GTO Of the
S18.7 billion in propo spend-
ing reduct' n for fi al year
1988 contained in the Admini­
tration's ne budget, one third
ould come out of programs
t r ted to 10 income Ameri­
can, despite the f t
th program constitute 0 -
ninth of the federal bud et,
cording to an analy' i eel
by the Budget and Policy
Prioritie .
ctual ..,ending for I in-
come prosrams ould be sliced
6.7 bDlion bel the levels'
needed to maintain. current
el of rvice in pro-
grams in 1988, the Center
analy' reported. .
Even 1arJer cuts
m de in appropriati os for t
p r Th propri.
tion ould drop 12.4 billio
belo current .ervice levle
r duction of 11 percent.
"The propo
the Admini ration -
ing to m e highly dispor­
portionate cuts in programs for
the poor," Center Director
Robert Green ein said.
Gr n ein abo noted that
the propo ppe to fly in
face of White Hou ta
force report . I month
Called for no chan s or
reform in federal I incom
propaml until change
coWd be te eel at the state
el.
" ently, th White
HoUle . e that any change
to mend hole in the safety
net ould be off lhnits, but
ell to cut 10 income
pr�s further are fine," he
Z
STATE'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY"
JANUARY 25 - 31, 1987
a
a
•
The Center's
ASH! GTO - Current
national economic and cial
policies have encouraged 'a
dangerous gap between the af­
fluent and the poor" and are
harming the national interest,
John E. Jacob President of the
ational Urban League a rted
in The State of Black America-
1987 "relea d last week.
Jacob tated in the report
that these policies have coun­
tered traditional American con­
cepts of morality and fair play
and that greed h s become
'the prevailing creed of Ronald
Reagan's America."
He charged that the Re gan
Administration ha been aging
a "disinformation campaign'
on domestic matters "de igned
to convince the public th t
unem Yment a no Ion er
a problem, that the poor don't
want to work and that cial
program simply compound
social problem in tead of help­
ing to resolve them."
ta
e
Jacob tated that the pre nt
disparities in income and ealth
are not accidental and are
'the re It of policie that
encourage higher unemployment
and lower level of ial spend­
ing and inve tment." He added
that while the economy h
been prai d for producing over
three million job over the
cour of the year that growth
was largely in part-time posit­
ions and low-paying retail and
rvi e industry jobs.
As rting that last year s
election results sho that voter
have rejected thi ideology and
demon tfate their concern that
the o-called economi re­
covery ha excluded millions of
American r. 1 ob main­
tained that the deterioration in
j bs and in orne ' ill spur a
recon "deration of government'
role a a creator of oppor­
tunitie for all."
Regarding the status of r ce
relation in America Mr. 1 acob
oe
o
a
year."
AS
curs
THE LA GEST
Among the low income pro­
grams that would stain the
largest cuts are Medicaid and
financial aid to help low and
moderate income tudents
attend colleg , the report ate.
edicaid would be reduced
1.4 billion next year and
S20.2 billion over the next
five year .
Appropriation for financial
. ance program for needy
student ould be cut 39
percent, or more than 2 bil­
lion, belo current rvice levels
next year.
Among other major low in­
come programs that would be
cut deeply are the low income
energy a . ance program which
help poor people pay heating
bill. Thi cut is 35 percent
or 665 million belo cur-
rent rvice level. Appro­
priations for low income hou -
ing would be cut by more than
half (reduced 51.5 percent) and
t 4.2 billion below current
rvices level.
In ddition, the analysi
finds, more than 50,000 10
incorn pregnant women in­
fant and children found by
medical profe ional to be at
nutritional ri would be re-
moved from a women, infant !
and children nutrition program,
becau the budget would not
include enough funds to main­
tain current particip tion levels.
Some 14 10 income pro-
grams would be terminated out­
right, including the I gal r­
vice program, the work incen­
tive program. which provides
job training for welfare
mother , funding to defray
storage and di ribution co
incurred by public and charit­
able organizations in distributin
government urplus foods to the
poor and the homele ,a ries
of low income housing pro­
gram , and the community r-
vice block grant program
(which ould be ph d out
over four years).
OTHE DOMESTIC CUTS .
In addition to the sizabl
reducti ns in low income pro­
gram the analysis finds that
major reduction would be made
in a number of program affe t­
ing poor and non-p r p ple
alike.
-
edicare
ould
e
ut
4.6
billion
next
year
'tnd
S25.6
billi n
over
five
ear.
-Guaranteed
Student
n
ould
e cut
1
billi n n
t
tated that 'the re rgence of
racist feelings and continu d
illegal dis rimination re fos-
tered by the dmini tration'
refusal to dmit that racism
may till be a pr blern."
Pointing in particular to the
ction of the lu tice Depart-
ment r. lacob t ted it h
attempted to convin e the
American public that if irma­
tive action i a tually rever
di crimination," which ha pre­
judiced public attitudes and
encour g d h tility t ar
Bl c citizen.
He added that the
ment narro interpret
the law ema ulate
Court
with.'
1 acob a cu d the n ti n
Continued on P ge 10
00
year and .3 billion over five
year. By 1992 the program
would be virtually eliminated"
-Drug and alcoh 1 abu
treatment and research pro rams
ould al b cut.
BUDGET SHIFTS
Finally. the Center' analy­
is notes large shifts in re urce
away from m st agencie run­
ning domesti program and to
encies ith millt ry-related
spendin .
Over the nex t five year,
De fen Department ending
would ri 33 percent Energy
Department spending would
climb 27 percent (the Energy
Department include nucle r
weapons programs, the State
Department budget ould ri
19 percent it includes mili­
tary foreign aid which n
compri two-third of all f r-
eign aid and S
would jump 40
the figure are n
for inflation .
t the same tim ,
rnent of Edu ti n
would fall 6 r
culture Department':
would drop 17
veral other dom tic
uld al
I