By Steven T. Dennis, CQ
Staff
Some moderate Republicans in
both chambers are balking at
President Bush's proposed
cuts in domestic
discretionary and
entitlement programs and
want concessions before they
back a fiscal 2007 budget
resolution.
"I'm opposed to the
president's budget," said
Rep. Michael N. Castle,
R-Del., complaining that the
White House blueprint would
continue large spending
increases at the Pentagon
while squeezing important
domestic programs.
Like
Pennsylvania
Republican Arlen Specter in
the Senate, Castle said he
and other moderates may
oppose the budget resolution
because of their concerns
about domestic cuts, even
though the resolution sets
only an overall ceiling on
discretionary spending.
"You need to start guarding
the henhouse a little
early," Castle said.
Rep. Mark Steven Kirk,
R-Ill., said moderates are
assembling a list of
concerns about proposed cuts
and want to know how GOP
appropriators and leaders
plan to allocate
discretionary spending
before voting for a budget
resolution.
House moderates also say
they may invite
Appropriations Chairman
Jerry Lewis of
California
and GOP leaders to meet with
them before they vote on a
budget resolution. John
Scofield, spokesman for
Lewis, said the chairman
would be "happy to meet with
any member to discuss their
concerns."
Kirk and Castle said there
is talk of moving a package
of entitlement spending cuts
smaller than the net $65
billion over five years that
Bush proposed.
"I think there is a feeling
we'd like to do a small
reconciliation package,"
Kirk said, that would
reinforce the idea that
authorizing committees
should continue to exercise
oversight over more than $1
trillion in entitlement
spending each year.
Castle estimated the package
might total about $10
billion in savings, compared
with the $39 billion over
five years in the
reconciliation package
signed into law on Feb. 8
(PL 109-171).
House Speaker J. Dennis
Hastert, R-Ill., said he
would like to pass a
reconciliation bill this
year but offered no
specifics.
House Majority Leader John
A. Boehner, R-Ohio, is
trying to get moderates and
conservatives on the same
page. Boehner said he told
moderate and conservative
leaders he wants to avoid
having a stalemate on
spending kicked upstairs to
GOP leaders, who would then
have to dictate a package
and enforce party
discipline.
Prospects for a
budget-cutting package in
the Senate are "still up in
the air," said Budget
Committee Chairman Judd
Gregg, R-N.H., after a
Wednesday afternoon meeting
with Finance Chairman
Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa,
and Majority Leader Bill
Frist, R-Tenn.
Gregg signaled that Grassley
may not have the votes to
get a budget savings package
through his committee. "I
think he thinks he's got
issues within his committee
on that," Gregg said. It is
highly unlikely, Gregg
added, that the Senate will
approve a budget calling for
the $36 billion in savings
from Medicare that Bush
proposes.
Earlier Wednesday, Gregg
said there was no support
for further cuts among
Democrats: "On our side of
the aisle, in an election
year, the message is, 'Can't
we put this off?' "
Two moderate Senate
Republicans,
Olympia
J. Snowe of
Maine
and Gordon H. Smith of
Oregon,
appear likely once again to
be key votes in the Medicare
spending debate. Smith was
noncommittal on Wednesday.
"I need to see the details -
whether it's improving the
system or hurting people,"
he said. But he cautioned
that the cost of Social
Security, Medicare and
Medicaid will continue to
grow.
"I know we have to have
reforms, but I also know
that one party can't do it,"
Smith said. He said he does
not expect Democrats to line
up with the GOP this year.
"As important as this is,
what happens in sessions
preceding an election is
politics."
Liriel Higa, Joseph J.
Schatz, Mary Agnes Carey and
Alan K. Ota contributed to
this story.
