Obama Deficit Plan Floats Higher EPA Program Fees, Infrastructure Funds

摘要

President Obama's deficit reduction plan for Congress' budget "super committee" includes calls to boost fees EPA collects through various programs and to establish a national infrastructure bank, while pushing a focus on mandatory spending cuts by saying that discretionary spending for EPA and other agencies is already at "historic" lows. The plan also advocates accelerating the permitting process for infrastructure projects, something Republicans have long called for. But the push for the infrastructure bank is already meeting House GOP resistance. Obama on Sept. 19 released detailed recommendations for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, titled "Living Within Our Means and Investing In the Future," which focuses on reforming the tax code, drawing down military troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and cutting $580 billion in mandatory spending. Mandatory spending largely covers entitlement programs, while discretionary spending covers EPA's appropriations funding. Relevant documents are available on InsideEPA.com. See page 2 for details. (Doc ID: 2376256)