Congressional Democrats have found an unexpected ally in their budget showdown with President Bush: Republicans.
The president is pushing to cut and even eliminate some popular domestic programs that pump billions of dollars into the states. Many congressional Republicans, wary of the potential fallout from the loss of funds, have joined Democrats to oppose the cuts. California alone has hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.
More than a week into the new fiscal year, Congress has yet to send Bush any of its 12 spending bills. And Bush has threatened to veto most of those that have been approved by the House or the Senate, accusing lawmakers of overspending in a time of budget deficits. But Democrats have stood their ground, not only rejecting many of the proposed cuts, but adding more funds for programs they believe have been neglected.
"We didn't overspend; the president under-funded," Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) said during debate last week on a spending bill that Bush has threatened to veto.
And they're getting help from some Republicans who, unlike the president, must run for reelection in communities that rely on Washington's money for community development, housing, anti-crime programs and other activities. For example, Rep. David Dreier (R-San Dimas) helped engineer a successful bipartisan effort in the House to boost to $460 million the federal funding to reimburse states for jailing illegal immigrants. Bush has proposed no money for the program.
Bush wants to cut federal aid programs by about $3.8 billion, according to Federal Funds Information for States, a Washington-based organization. The House has called for an increase of $13.8 billion, and the Senate is headed toward a $10-billion increase.
Sean Kevelighan, a spokesman for the White House budget office, said the administration had pushed to reduce overall funding to provide more money to serve the communities in greatest need.
Democrats will need GOP support if they are to override Bush's promised vetoes. Democrats hold narrow majorities in the House and Senate; it takes two-thirds of each chamber to override a veto.
So Democrats were delighted last week when Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) took to the Senate floor complaining about the president's proposed $1.6-billion cut in aid to state and local law enforcement at a time when violent crime is on the rise. The Senate next week is expected to approve a bill that would spend $550 million on the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which provides grants for state and local law enforcement agencies. Bush proposed cutting the program to $32 million, from about $500 million. The House has approved $725 million. |
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