Upcoming Senate Vote on "Budget Wall"

In September, Senator Tom Harkin (Democrat, Iowa) plans to
introduce an amendment to the Fiscal 1993 Labor, HHS and
Education Appropriations bill to transfer $3.7 billion from
unobligated Department of Defense accounts to a number of
underfunded health, education, and human-services programs. This
will include $100 million to the Ryan White programs for AIDS
care, and $450 million for biomedical research (not broken down
for specific diseases). The bill includes an increase for
tuberculosis.

Because this amendment would break the budget agreement
which prevents defense funds from being used for domestic
programs, 60 votes will be required in the Senate, instead of the
51 usually required.

This amendment faces an uphill battle, since President Bush
is expected to veto it if it passes; then a two-thirds vote in
both houses of Congress would be required. Also, because of the
deficit and because of the way the issue of domestic vs.
military spending has been framed, there is reluctance in
Congress to override the budget agreement. But whether or not
this particular proposal becomes law, it is important as part of
the ongoing effort to build a broad-based coalition including
children's, education, medical research, and public health
activists in a united effort.