Print edition: 
WASHINGTON —The White House budget announcement is always the opening round in what is usually a yearlong — or even longer — struggle.
But if the past is any guide, the final product could look very different than the blueprint that President Obama sent to Capitol Hill on Monday.
Democrats were generally supportive. Republicans found little to applaud.
"The proposed budget will also raise taxes more than $2 trillion over the next ten years according to the administration's own estimates," said Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, who is running for the Senate. "It appears the president did not believe his own State of the Union speech."
In neighboring Missouri, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who praised the budget's plan to freeze discretionary spending, said, "Congress now must go through the budget with a fine-tooth comb and hold the line against wasteful spending, including seeking cuts beyond what has been proposed."
Meanwhile, state officials like those in Topeka will sit back and wait to see just how deep —or shallow — Uncle Sam's pockets turn out to be. The latter is more likely if the partial budget freeze holds up.
Still, the Obama administration trumpeted some of the ways that states would fare under its budget for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins in October.
It said that 1 million families would benefit from a third-year extension of a refundable tax credit of $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples filing joint returns.
The White House said that Kansas would get $438 million for schools, students and teachers. But exactly what programs that money would cover was not made clear. So it's hard to make comparisons with what Kansas is getting for those programs now.
Overall, the state currently receives $700 million in federal funds for K-12 programs.
If Obama's budget numbers survive, Kansas would also see $511 million for public works projects and $112 million for housing assistance.
How things will turn out won't be answered for months. But one possible wrinkle was ironed out quickly.
The proposed budget contains no money for the new National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility planned for Manhattan, a surprise given the long political battle to win the $650 million Department of Homeland Security project for the state.
Administration officials explained that they intend to set aside $40 million for the project. But because the money would come from unspent funds obligated in previous budgets, they have to follow certain procedures before declaring the revised allocation.
Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas said the administration "assured" the delegation that it was "committed to this important project. Given critical security challenges and scarce federal dollars, this significant $40 million investment reflects that continued commitment."
