Marrying for America

In recent years Americans have experienced a substantial increase in the federal budget deficit. The Bush administration's increased spending on military technology combined with tax cuts resulted in a $304 billion deficit forecasted for 2004 (Times Union, 2/1/03). Before Bush increased tax cuts and spending for the United States military, he announced the new agenda for reducing federal spending dedicated to the welfare program (2/27/02). Bush's new welfare bill, which has all but officially passed in Congress, offers a meager $17 billion per year from 2003 to 2007 in federal spending for welfare programs. In an effort to respond to the budget crisis, Bush has decreased state funding for the poor, and instead earmarked $300 million of his budget for federally mandated, but state implemented marriage promotion programs (Bush, 2/27/02).