Dozens of popular health, housing and education programs would be eliminated or sharply reduced under the budget that President Bush plans to announce on Monday. But he would significantly increase spending on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the focus of a huge fight with Congress last year. Michael O. Leavitt, the secretary of health and human services, said that the president would request $19.7 billion in additional federal allotments to the states for coverage of children from low-income families in the next five years. Spending on the program from 2009 to 2013 would total $45.1 billion. In an interview, Mr. Leavitt said the president's budget would allow the program to meet its “original intent” of covering children with family incomes up to twice the poverty level, or $42,400 for a family of four. About 18 states cover children with family incomes above that level.
