LadyMod at scam.com
10-17-2007, 09:44 PM
Irresponsible and excessive spending? How much is alloted each day just to play war?
Senate Debates Bill at Odds With Bush (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h6dZR6Ran4SvzDtMx_YPyrtO3qkQD8SB4QJ00)
By ANDREW TAYLOR – 6 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Wednesday began debating budget increases for education, health clinics, job training and worker safety as Democrats rebuff President Bush's calls for cuts to a massive spending measure containing the boosts.
The Democratic-authored measure faces a veto promise from Bush over $9 billion in increases for social programs popular with lawmakers in both parties. The debate comes on the eve of a House veto override vote on a popular health insurance program for poor children.
But the spending increases in the huge appropriations bill promise to have impacts greater than the children's health insurance measure.
That's because programs in the $606 billion bill — containing $152 billion for programs funded at Congress' discretion and far more for benefit programs such as Medicare — affect schoolchildren, workers, the poor and disabled, the unemployed and those with special needs or drug and alcohol problems, among others.
Bush sought an almost $4 billion cut from 2007 levels for programs covered by the sprawling measure, including cuts to health research, special education and funding for grants to community groups that help the poor. The cuts are even deeper once inflation and population growth are factored in.
For their part, Senate Democrats instead added $5 billion, so the measure exceeds Bush's request by about $9 billion, or 6 percent.
The White House issued a veto promise Wednesday, both for "irresponsible and excessive" spending and for a provision overturning Bush's ban on using taxpayer money to develop new embryonic stem cell lines for research into new cures and treatments.
Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., co-authors and floor managers of the measure, promptly removed the stem cell language Wednesday.
After criticizing Democrats for spending too much, the White House devoted much of its seven-page policy statement to complaining about the areas where Democrats did cuts from his budget, including private school vouchers for children in poorly-performing schools.
More than any other of the 12 annual appropriations bills, the health and education measure defines the differences between Bush and Capitol Hill Democrats over the one-third of the federal budget that Congress passes each year. Bush has sought to clamp down on spending in the bill for years, but Congress has always restored many of his proposed cuts.
Democrats are trying to build on the political momentum they've won on President Bush's veto of their five-year, $35 billion increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program by focusing attention on Bush's proposed cuts to education and health programs, student aid and grants aimed at the poor.
The health and education bill "provides for the education of our children. It provides health care for many of our poorest citizens," Harkin said. "It helps students from low- and middle-income families afford college. It funds medical research to help ease human suffering .... This is the bill that really says who we are as Americans."
When Republicans controlled Congress, Bush did not veto a single spending bill, even though many of them, invariably including the health and labor measure, came in over his requests. Now, Bush is eager for a fiscal showdown with Democrats.
House Republicans have demonstrated they have the votes to sustain Bush vetoes, though on some votes, including the House version of the health and education bill, they barely produced the more than one third required.
Democrats appear to hope that after a few veto override votes, Bush will agree to negotiations. If not, the spending showdown could last almost until Christmas, or even beyond.
Debate on the measure is expected to last several days.
Senate Debates Bill at Odds With Bush (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h6dZR6Ran4SvzDtMx_YPyrtO3qkQD8SB4QJ00)
By ANDREW TAYLOR – 6 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Wednesday began debating budget increases for education, health clinics, job training and worker safety as Democrats rebuff President Bush's calls for cuts to a massive spending measure containing the boosts.
The Democratic-authored measure faces a veto promise from Bush over $9 billion in increases for social programs popular with lawmakers in both parties. The debate comes on the eve of a House veto override vote on a popular health insurance program for poor children.
But the spending increases in the huge appropriations bill promise to have impacts greater than the children's health insurance measure.
That's because programs in the $606 billion bill — containing $152 billion for programs funded at Congress' discretion and far more for benefit programs such as Medicare — affect schoolchildren, workers, the poor and disabled, the unemployed and those with special needs or drug and alcohol problems, among others.
Bush sought an almost $4 billion cut from 2007 levels for programs covered by the sprawling measure, including cuts to health research, special education and funding for grants to community groups that help the poor. The cuts are even deeper once inflation and population growth are factored in.
For their part, Senate Democrats instead added $5 billion, so the measure exceeds Bush's request by about $9 billion, or 6 percent.
The White House issued a veto promise Wednesday, both for "irresponsible and excessive" spending and for a provision overturning Bush's ban on using taxpayer money to develop new embryonic stem cell lines for research into new cures and treatments.
Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., co-authors and floor managers of the measure, promptly removed the stem cell language Wednesday.
After criticizing Democrats for spending too much, the White House devoted much of its seven-page policy statement to complaining about the areas where Democrats did cuts from his budget, including private school vouchers for children in poorly-performing schools.
More than any other of the 12 annual appropriations bills, the health and education measure defines the differences between Bush and Capitol Hill Democrats over the one-third of the federal budget that Congress passes each year. Bush has sought to clamp down on spending in the bill for years, but Congress has always restored many of his proposed cuts.
Democrats are trying to build on the political momentum they've won on President Bush's veto of their five-year, $35 billion increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program by focusing attention on Bush's proposed cuts to education and health programs, student aid and grants aimed at the poor.
The health and education bill "provides for the education of our children. It provides health care for many of our poorest citizens," Harkin said. "It helps students from low- and middle-income families afford college. It funds medical research to help ease human suffering .... This is the bill that really says who we are as Americans."
When Republicans controlled Congress, Bush did not veto a single spending bill, even though many of them, invariably including the health and labor measure, came in over his requests. Now, Bush is eager for a fiscal showdown with Democrats.
House Republicans have demonstrated they have the votes to sustain Bush vetoes, though on some votes, including the House version of the health and education bill, they barely produced the more than one third required.
Democrats appear to hope that after a few veto override votes, Bush will agree to negotiations. If not, the spending showdown could last almost until Christmas, or even beyond.
Debate on the measure is expected to last several days.