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2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Passed
The House, by a vote of 338-83, and Senate, by a vote of 76-20, passed the FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. The President is expected to sign the bill into law within a week. The total Omnibus package is $397.4 billion, which is over the $385.9 billion limit set by the White House last week. The Labor, Health and Human Services and Education portion of the bill is $130.9 billion, which meets President Bush’s FY 2003 budget request and avoids the possibility of a veto, which was previously threatened by the President. This is $3.3 billion more than FY 2002. In this proposal, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would receive $27.2 billion, a $3.8 billion increase. This funding level completes the five year effort to double the NIH budget for research. Although the finalization of these appropriations comes well after the beginning of this fiscal year and the levels are much lower than what is needed to adequately address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States, the passage of the bill is a step in the right direction. The completion of the FY 2003 Omnibus gives appropriators and community leaders a starting point for meaningful conversations regarding the FY2004 budget. This process has been stalled due to the uncertainty regarding the final funding levels for FY 2003. The final passage of the FY2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill also means the end of the ongoing process of governing through the use of Continuing Resolutions, which allowed federal programs to continue working, but at FY2002 spending levels. The funding levels (with dollars measured in thousands) for the HIV/AIDS programs are as follows:
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