(ThyBlackMan.com) Anyone hoping President Barack Obama’s 2012 federal spending plan would suddenly reverse his previous course and target increased revenue towards helping black America will be sorely disappointed.
In his $3.73 trillion budget submitted to Congress yesterday, the president shows that he still believes the best way to help black America is to lift all 
boats in the nation’s choppy economic waters as opposed to targeting new large programs for African Americans.
Obama’s reluctance to initiate large programs for blacks has drawn critics, especially some members of the Congressional Black Caucus who have said that since black America turned out in droves during his election campaign, black America should see some tangible benefit from his victory.
Though the bulk of spending is targeted to all, some of the spending increases will come in areas that black advocates have traditionally fought for.
Anti-discrimination enforcement under the Department of Justice to fight hate crimes will see a small increase of 5 percent over the 2010 budget.
The budget also proposes to double loan amounts for Historically Black Colleges and Universities above 2010 levels. A new $40 million grant to improve and expand teacher education programs at minority-serving institutions is proposed in the spending plan.
In general, however, extension of tax cuts for families, hunger prevention programs, family leave assistance, which will help all struggling families are where much of the budget’s spending is targeted.
President Obama finds himself in a tough position producing this budget with his core constituency calling for more programs to deal with the brutal economy and Republicans howling for immediate and severe spending cuts.
Many Republicans who now hold the majority in the House were elected on the pledge that every vote they cast would work towards lowering the federal deficit.
Congress hasn’t been able to pass a budget for the current year and the government has been working under a temporary spending bill that expires next month. Unless both sides are willing to give, the stage seems set for a government shutdown.
Written By Paul Shepard
