THE PRESIDENT’S SPENDING PLAN : Budget ‘Winners’ Include Head Start, Supercollider

Although his 1991 budget is primarily geared toward reducing spending, President Bush on Monday touted what he called “record-high amounts” for research and development, space, education and drug-fighting.

Of course, in an era of persistent inflation, steady funding by definition means record high spending. For example, although Bush’s proposals for government research and development are up 7% in total funds, that represents an increase of only 2% in real, or inflation-adjusted, terms.

However, there were some winners in the Bush budget proposals. Here are some of the more significant increases:

Overall, the total Department of Education budget would rise only $ 500 million, to $ 24.6 billion. That is an increase of only 2.1%, which is below the rate of inflation and therefore a decrease in real terms. However, Head Start gets a major boost.

The new Bush Administration budget calls for a $1.1-billion increase in spending on anti-drug programs in 1991 for a total of $ 10.6 billion--a 12% hike from 1990 levels. The overall parameters of the package remain roughly the same, with 70% devoted to efforts to reduce the supply of drugs and the remaining 30% targeted for demand reduction. The largest percentage increase would go to the Defense Department for its role in the drug fight.

Reflecting a sharp increase in funds for battling drugs, the Justice Department budget will climb to $ 8.97 billion--a 4.2% increase. The Drug Enforcement Administration request is $ 700 million, up 27.6% from $ 548.7. But the drug-fight budgeting occurs against a backdrop of decreases in other areas. The FBI, for example, will lose 400 agents through attrition in fiscal 1991, dropping its agent force to 9,400 at the end of 1991.

In an age when “competitiveness” is still a buzz-word, federal spending on non-defense R&D; programs is an annual litmus test. For 1991, overall government R&D; spending is slated to rise 7% to $71.2 billion. Of that, $ 40.4 billion is defense related--an increase of 4%. The remainder, for civilian programs, represents an increase of 12%.

Funding for science and math education will get an estimated increase of 26%, and one of the biggest winners in percentage terms is the super conducting supercollider.

The overall budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is programmed to increase nearly $ 3 billion, or 24%, next year. In percentage terms, the biggest winner is deep space exploration, which rises 47%, from $ 859 million to $ 1.3 billion. But outlays for the shuttle program account for the lion’s share of the overall increase. The budget seeks $ 8.2 billion for the shuttle, a 15% increase from $ 7.2 billion.

The Administration’s program to combat AIDS shifts emphasis substantially from research--which increases by about 7%--to treatment and prevention, which rises 23%, to $1.9 billion. Other income support programs administered by the Labor, Defense, Education and Justice departments and the Veterans Affairs agency also are to be increased.

EDUCATION: Head Start (In millions) 1990: $ 1.39 1991: $ 1.89: +36% WAR ON DRUGS: Defense Dept. (In millions) 1990: $ 877 1991: $ 1,200: +38% LAW ENFORCEMENT: Drug Enforcement Admin. (In millions) 1990: $ 548.7 1991: $ 700: +28% SCIENCE: Supercollider (In millions) 1990: $ 218 1991: $ 318: +46% SPACE: Shuttle production and operations (In millions) 1990: $ 7.2 1991: $ 8.2: +15% AIDS: Income Support Programs (In millions) 1990: $ 219 1991: $ 305: +39%