On April 26, after an intensive campaign by conservative groups, Health and Human Services (HHS) pulled partial funding for the Global Health Council’s 31st annual conference. Conservatives objected to some of the topics and speakers in the June conference and claimed that federal dollars given to fund the event was being used to lobby. To ensure the government and others that federal dollars were not being used for lobbying, the conference sponsors segregated its lobbying component in a separate “pre-conference” day.

Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by a 4.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is about the same as the 4.1 percent rate from the last quarter of 2003, and shows the economy growing at a steady, if not exceptionally strong, rate. However, forecasters had expected growth to come in at a stronger 5 percent rate.

"Paygo" rules, once a little-known budget technicality, are now proving to be the main impediment in reaching a budget resolution for FY 2005, which begins on October 1, 2004.

The Bush administration altered a study of the economics of saving a threatened species by deleting 55 pages on the benefits of saving the species and leaving only discussion about the costs to industry. Although the administration explains the deletion as a concession to the inadequacy of economic discourse in making policy decisions for threatened and endangered species, the cost-benefit analysis will still be used to reduce the amount of threatened habitat to be protected.