The Fine Print
As usual, some of the good stuff about a Presidential budget plan is not in the summary handouts delivered to reporters by the White House, or in the preview stories dutifully hammered out by my colleagues. The good stuff is in the fine print.
It didn't take me long to find something hiding in the section of the budget that is described simply as the "Appendix", chock full of 1,420 pages of numbers and budget speak that I can barely decipher.
When you read through the Appendix, you have to remind yourself that anything written in italics is something you want to read, because it is new. Something in brackets like [2009] means that is not in the official budget submission.
The first "unusual" item to pop up was so straightforward that I almost doubted what I was reading:
"SEC. 734. (a) The Vice President may not receive a pay rate increase in calendar year 2011, notwithstanding section 104 of title 3, United States Code, or any other provision of law."
There it was, in plain English. No pay raise for the Vice President in 2011, all part of a new section offered in the budget that would block pay raises for Ambassadors and other senior government executives.
I even called the Vice President's office for a comment, but they refused to return my call.
Next stop was on page 21 of 1420:
"SEC. 104. (a) USING APPROPRIATED FUNDS FOR THE PURCHASE OF BOTTLED WATER IN THE HOUSE. Appropriated funds may be used by House offices to purchase bottled water," it read.
I didn't know that was a problem, but obviously it is.
Okay, how about a serious issue. On page 327, the Obama Administration wants to be able to transfer money around to help deal with stepped-up intelligence work in the wake of the botched Christmas Day airline bomb plot.
"Provided, That of the funds appropriated for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for Overseas Contingency Operations, $49,270,000 is available for transfer to other departments and agencies for purposes of correcting systemic failures in the terrorist watchlist system, addressing gaps in information sharing, and improving analysis of intelligence information."
Finally, we will end this blog with one that might go under the title of, "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm."
This is on page 1362: "SEC. 9. Funds made available in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-85), under the account "Weapons Activities" shall be available for the purchase of not to exceed one aircraft."
One aircraft. What kind? How much? Who would use it?
That's not in the fine print.
