National Taxpayers Union Foundation's Cost Analysis of the President's State of the Union Address
Speech Item | Issue (quoted from text) | Annual Spending Increase/Decrease (in millions) |
1 | "I will send you a proposal to double the budget of the National Endowment for Democracy,…" | $40 |
2 | "This program will provide extra help to middle- and high school students who fall behind in reading and math,…" | $320 |
3 | "…expand Advanced Placement programs in low- income schools,…" | $48 |
4 | "…invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools." | (unknown) |
5 | "I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school." | $200 |
6 | "I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges, so they can train workers for the industries that are creating the most new jobs." | $250 |
7 | "I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our electricity system, promote conservation, and make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy." | $4,754 |
8 | "I urge you to pass Association Health Plans." | $5 |
9 | "By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care." | $50 |
10 | "I propose an additional 23 million dollars for schools that want to use drug testing as a tool to save children's lives." | $23 |
11 | "I propose a grassroots campaign to help inform families about these medical risks [sexually transmitted diseases]." | $9 |
12 | "We will double Federal funding for abstinence programs…" | $120 |
13 | "I propose a four-year, 300 million dollar Prisoner Re- Entry Initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups." | $75 |
14 | "I ask you to give lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their own basic health insurance." | $7,662 |
Total | $13,556 | |
Sources: National Taxpayers Union Foundation's BillTally and the White House. | ||
Non-Defense Discretionary Spending | Defense/Homeland Security Spending | |
President Clinton's 1999 SotU | $305 | $22 |
President Clinton's 2000 SotU | $119 | $21 |
President Bush's 2002 SotU* | $55 | $51 |
President Bush's 2003 SotU | $46 | $6 |
President Bush's 2004 SotU | $13.6 | |
*Historically Presidents do not give State of the Union addresses their first year in office. | ||