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White House Seeks 9.3 Percent Funding Increase
washingtonpost.com - While demanding that the federal government restrain its spending to a 4.1 percent increase in 2004, the Bush White House has assigned itself a more lenient standard: It has proposed a 9.3 percent increase in funding for the ongoing operations of the White House.

Democrats say the administration is guilty of a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do mentality.

The White House says various hidden security costs account for the increase.

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: Just how much can be hidden before our democracy isn't a democracy or have we already past that stage?)

For the Executive Office of the President, the broad category including most White House operations, the administration has requested $341.2 million for fiscal 2004. That compares with a request of $312.2 million for fiscal 2003 -- excluding $16.8 million for the White House Office of Homeland Security that was switched to the Department of Homeland Security budget for 2004.

Amy Call, a spokeswoman for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the increase for the White House would only be 3.8 percent if one does not subtract the costs that have moved elsewhere.

Even without the $16.8 billion from 2003 that the White House is shifting elsewhere in fiscal 2004, Call said various "security related" factors have increased costs for 2004.

posted by West 7:25 AM