Page 8-The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday. April 22, 1993
World
U.S. bu
WASHINGTON (JTA) -
U.S. President Bill Clinton;s 1994 budget, sent to Capitol Hill, keeps funding for various programs of Jewish interest at the same or higher funding levels than the.current .fiscal year.
Although country-by-country expenditures.in the foreign aid section of the budget were not spelled put. aid to Israel is expected to remain, at its current annual level of $3 billion.
Clinton and his foreign policy team have said on numerous occasions that aid to Israel, the largest recipient of American aid. and to Egypt, the second-largest recipient at S2.1 billion a year, would remain constant for at least another year:
-Some in the Jewish community were initially worried that the troubled American economic climate could result in budget cuts affecting aid to Israel or other programs of concern to .American Jews.- But for the most part, such programs seem to have been spared.
For instance, funding for domestic resenlement of refugees, including Jews from the fornier Soviet Union.Will actually increase after being cut back this past year. ■
That, of coiirsc. assumes that Congress will ■pass the administration's budget intact! which it never does. In fact, in recent years, the presi-, dent's budget has been regarded as more of a policy blueprint and "^vish list"" that is drastically revised in the year-long congressional allocations and appropriations process.
TheState Department budget reflects the administration's focus on changing its foreign assistance priorities in the post-Cold War world.
The budget for the department is based on five objectives: building democracy, promoting and iiiaintainirig peace, promoting econoiiiic growth and sustainable development, addressing global problems, and providing humanitarian assistance,
.As e.xpected.. the Soviet successor states received a boost of oyer S300 million iri addi-
t Items get
ii{>nal aid; which was backed by many Jewish groups.
Funding for Israel and Egypt's aid packages falls under the category of promoting and maintaining peace. The administration has placed a high priority on the Middle East peace process.
Aid to Israel and Egypt now totals 87 percent of the entii-e U.S. security assistance budget, the State Department said. Up from 70 percent in the late 1980s, because of shrinking overall levels of aid.   ■„ '
But in real dollars, Israel's annual infusion t>f U.S: aid, which has remained constant since the mid-1980s, bas been shrinking because, of inv nation.
In addition to SI.8 billion in military aid and SI .2 billion in economic assistance for Israel, the , budget earmarks S5.^million in U.S.aid for the resettlement of refugees in Israel; down from S80 million the year before.
. The 1994 budget also includes a new request for S5 million to support the multilateral.Working groups of the Middle East peace process.
Another provision in the budget calls for canceling the.Voice of America relay station that had been scheduled to be built in Israel's Negev:.
desert. This cut had been expected by many in the pro-Israel communily. . The station had triggered controversy in Israel, in pari because of concern about its environmental impact.
The new budget also calls for the deletion of
provision.s included in previous budgets that barred the state and defence departments from awarding contracts to fimis complying with temis of the Arab boycott against Israel.
■".We are dismayed that the administration's' budget proposal calls for the deletion of two provisions to fight the Arab boycott." Phil Baum, assik-iate executive director of the .Anierican Jewish Congress said in a slatetiient protesting the move.
Baum said the proposed deletions are'"particularly puzzling" because Vice President M Gore and State Depaiiimcnt counsel Tim W'irth co-•>p(Vnsored the provisions when they served in the Senate'.
The.Bush adniinistralion also called for the de^ letion of the provisions. .AJCongress officials said, but Congress retained Ihem last year. .
Other sources, however, said that the.deletions would not have miich practical effect and did not
reviews
represent a change in p<-)licy, because the provisions are already written into law for the defence department, at least."
On the domestic side, refugee a.ssistance. which was cut back this past year to approximately S380 million, was increa.sed to approximately S420 million for 1994. Some of that money wingoto federation agencies around the country that are involved in resettling Jews from Russia and the other former Soviet republics. .. Another program providing for emergency refugee funding will remain constant.at around .S49 million. The emergency program can be. used to help refugees from turbuFeni places like .Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The United States HolcKaust Memorial Museum, which will open later this month, had its funding for operations increased from SI 1 million to S21 million. Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National . Endowmeni for the Humanities remained almost constant, at approximately S\15 million each.
Jewish groups were also pleased by increased funding for the Head Start education program and the Women. Infants and Children fo(xl.program; These increases had been,announced in Febru-ar\. when.Clinton first presented some of his eco-noniic priorities in his .State of the Union address ■
A prograiii providing emergency food and shelter, which is imponani to Jewish federations across the country., saw iis funding increased from SI00 million in the 1993 budget to $123 . million.
Other proigrams were cut back in the |994 budget, such.as programs for housing for the elderly:'.
;   One elderly housing progranvwas cut from approximately $809 million to S77.5. million; and another was cut from about S2I million".to S6. •million.
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