You forgot something:

In the New York Times article, President Offers Budget Proposal With Broad Cuts, we read:

Spending on that category - in budgetary language, nondefense, nondomestic-security discretionary spending - would be trimmed by almost $3 billion, or about seven-tenths of 1 percent, for the year starting Oct. 1, to $389 billion from $392 billion. It would then be frozen at $389 billion for four years, effectively imposing a further cut each year after taking account of inflation.

What should have been written:

Spending on that category - in budgetary language, nondefense, nondomestic-security discretionary spending - would be trimmed by almost $3 billion, or about seven-tenths of 1 percent, for the year starting Oct. 1, to $389 billion from $392 billion. It would then be frozen at $389 billion for four years, effectively imposing a further cut each year after taking account of inflation and population growth.

posted by Quiddity at 2/08/2005 05:04:00 AM