Appropriations Bill for FY 09

In 2008, President Bush’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009 (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009) proposed cuts in a wide range of services important to women and their families.  Congress refused to make those cuts, resulting in a stalemate.  The regular appropriations bills to fund domestic agencies were not enacted.  Instead, Congress passed and President Bush signed a temporary measure that funded these services through March 6, 2009, generally at FY 08 levels.  On March 6, Congress passed and President Obama signed a resolution extending that funding through March 11, 2009.

Congress has now passed legislation to fund government services for the rest of FY 2009.  (These appropriations are for regular program operations; increases for certain programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are in addition to these funds.)  In contrast to President Bush’s budget, which cut funding for domestic programs, this appropriations bill increases funding above the FY 08 level for a number of services that are especially important to women and their families