POSTED: Tuesday, Feb. 02, 2010

Puget Sound cleanup, state agriculture take hits in Obama's budget

WASHINGTON - President Obama's $3.8 trillion budget proposal submitted Monday to Congress cuts funding for Puget Sound cleanup by $30 million over current levels and trims a popular program for farmers to promote U.S. agriculture products overseas.

Federal funding for the state's social safety net would remain pretty much intact.

The budget also includes $864 million for further research and development of a new Air Force refueling tanker. A $35 billion contract for 179 new tankers is expected to be awarded later this year. Boeing is competing for the contract.

Congressional offices spent Monday trying to sort out the winners and losers in Obama's massive budget blueprint, though Congress makes the final decisions on federal spending.

"Overall we are in pretty good shape," said Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and chairman of its interior appropriations subcommittee. "I think we need to constrain spending. I agree with the president on that."

The White House proposed $20 million in federal funding for Puget Sound cleanup, compared with the $50 million in the current fiscal year.

"I'm disappointed, but we will remedy that," Dicks said.

The administration wants to cut the Agriculture Department's Market Access Program from $200 million to $192 million in the next fiscal year and then to $162 million in future years. The program helps promote such agricultural products as apples, hops, pears, wine, lentils and dry beans and peas.

In announcing last week nearly $20 million to help Washington state's farmers market their products overseas, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the program "more important than ever."

When it comes to federal grants in fiscal 2011, which starts Oct. 1, Washington state's share will be down about $500 million, from $8.7 billion in the current fiscal year. But most of that reduction is a result of the phase-out of federal stimulus money.

Even so, federal funding for school lunch programs in Washington state would be up almost $8 million to $173 million; Head Start funding would increase almost $15 million to $121 million; and funding for so-called Section 8 housing vouchers would increase almost $21 million.

Funding for military construction at Joint Base Lewis McChord would increase by nearly $20 million, totaling about $171 million.

The Hanford nuclear site cleanup budget would be increased by $39 million, above the current $2.1 billion, mostly to deal the most highly radioactive waste.

LES BLUMENTHAL covers issues about Washington state from the McClatchy bureau in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at lblumenthal@mcclatchydc.com.