The House : 1987 Budget

The 1987 budget resolution, which is the federal government’s fiscal blueprint for the financial year beginning Oct. 1, was passed by the House on a vote of 245 for and 179 against and sent to conference with the Senate.

Authored by the Democratic majority, the plan (H Con Res 337) calls for spending of $994.3 billion, defense outlays of $285 billion, $13.2 billion in new revenue and a projected annual deficit of $137.5 billion.

In conference, it will confront the budget plan approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, which sets military spending at the higher level of $301 billion, and anticipates a higher annual deficit, $144 billion. The House and Senate proposals would increase revenue (largely by unspecified tax hikes) by approximately the same amount, although the House specifies that $4.7 billion of its new revenues could be used only to reduce the deficit.

Both House and Senate budgets are on a collision course with President Reagan’s proposed 1987 budget, which calls for defense spending of $320 billion, sharper cuts in domestic spending, and lower tax hikes.

Supporter George Miller (D-Martinez) said, “There is something terribly wrong when the defenseless must sacrifice food, education and housing so that the Defense Department can spend $800 million of our tax money every day.”

Opponent Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) said, “We are making a mistake in cutting defense and letting deficits drive public policy, instead of the other way around.”

Members voting yes favored the Democratic master plan for the fiscal 1987 budget.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Bates (D) x Rep. Hunter (R) x Rep. Lowery (R) x Rep. Packard (R) x

GOP Plan

By a vote of 145 for and 280 against, the House rejected the alternative fiscal 1987 budget offered by the Republican minority. The House then approved the Democratic plan (above). The GOP plan called for defense spending of $293 billion, which was $8 billion above the Democratic figure, but $8 billion less than the Senate-approved outlay and $27 billion below President Reagan’s military request. It reduced domestic spending by $22.3 billion, about $5 billion more than the Democratic budget’s domestic cuts.

It provided $5.7 billion in new fiscal 1987 revenue, roughly the sum requested by the President but well below the amounts recommended by both the GOP-led Senate and the Democratic majority in the House. It anticipated a fiscal 1987 deficit of $144 billion, slightly higher than the figure later approved by the House but within the statutory limit of the Gramm-Rudman balanced-budget law.

Members voting yes supported the alternative budget authored by House Republicans.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Bates (D) x Rep. Hunter (R) x Rep. Lowery (R) x Rep. Packard (R) x