FACING SOUTH
Kentucky
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader,
Bush's budget proposes $351 million for chemical weapons disposal at
the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, which is $54 million more
than originally requested. Sen. Mitch McConnel (R-KY) said the Pentagon
upped the amount at his request.
The article also says the Army
Corps of Engineers will receive $52 million for work on the Kentucky
Lock project, $104 million for the Olmstead Locks & Dam, $45
million for McAlpine Locks, and $54.1 million for Wolf Creek Dam
repairs.
Other funding for Kentucky includes $116 million for
cleanup at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion plant, $196 million in
education funding, and $49.8 million for school breakfast programs.
The Louisville Courier-Journal
says the budget will boost Kentucky's highway funding by $93 million to
$565 million. The community development block grant program, however,
would be cut from $48 million to $34.4 million. Also, social-services
block grants are cut from $23.9 million to $16.9 million, and Homeland
Security funding is cut from $11.3 million to $4.3 million.
According
to the article, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says "it's a plan that
cuts everything from funds for police officers and firefighters to
housing and community development" and it's "180 degrees from what
leaders of America's cities told lawmakers and administration leaders
when they were in town just a couple weeks ago."