If your job is funded with federal money, you may want to circle Feb. 5 on your calendar. It’s the first Monday in February—the deadline for President Bush’s fiscal year 2008 budget proposal.

The president’s budget is a detailed document recommending specific funding levels for programs, as well as his vision for tax policy and government initiatives.

President Bush is expected to do as he has in previous budget proposals: Recommend across-the-board cuts to government programs.

Release of the president’s budget proposal is your cue to start contacting your members of Congress to weigh in on proposed funding levels—to let them know how the proposed funding levels will affect your ability to do your job and help those citizens who benefit from your work.

Early contact with lawmakers is critical
Early contact with your elected representatives is important because once Congress receives the president’s budget, it gets to work on the congressional budget resolution, which sets limits on spending in different areas.

“Because of the way [spending] decisions flow from the congressional budget resolution, early action is important,” says Martha Coven, senior legislative associate at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), noting that February and March are important months for public service advocates because the budget resolution drives funding.

“It’s dangerous to wait until committee action on specific programs and policies,” Coven says. “For appropriations, waiting until the subcommittee [hearings] means arguing over a smaller pot of money. For key entitlements and taxes, waiting for committees to make the assigned level of cuts often means picking and choosing among bad options or the least harmful options.”

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