Corps budget request includes military spending

Bush's proposal calls for $375 million for fiscal 2007, which includes military spending for the first time.

President Bush is requesting $375 million in information technology spending for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for fiscal 2007, and that number includes the military piece of the Corps' IT budget for the first time.

Wilbert Berrios, chief of corporate information for the Corps, said today that the budget proposal contained in the Office of Management and Budget’s Exhibit 53 is misleading because it does not identify the military spending that is included in the budget proposal for the Corps.

He said the Corps included for the first time a more complete tally of its military portion of IT spending, which made it appear as though Bush is seeking a huge increase for the group.

“We’ve been relatively flat even though there has been a slight increase,” Berrios said.

The $375 million Bush is requesting includes about $80 million for the military portion of the Corps’ budget. Corps spokesman David Hewitt said the group’s military IT budget for fiscal 2005 was $54.6 million and $60.3 million for fiscal 2006.

NEXT STORY: EU focuses on health education