Senate leader vows to fight spending above Bush's budget

Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and other Republicans today criticized Democrats for not bringing up a fiscal 2003 budget resolution and vowed to slow down the appropriations process later this year if the Senate tried to pass spending bills that are significantly higher than what the president has requested.

The House Appropriations Committee, under the direction of the GOP leadership, has approved spending allocations for its subcommittees that coincide with spending under the Bush budget plan. But the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is set to approve its 13 subcommittee allocations at a full committee markup this afternoon, will likely spend nearly $9 billion over what the president has said is acceptable.

Lott said while some of the bills will get widespread bipartisan support, on some of the larger spending bills conservative Republicans would likely use a variety of delaying tactics--mostly by offering a slew of amendments--to frustrate Democrats.

"It depends on the individual bill," Lott said. If they were "within range" of the request, Lott said Republicans would let them go through. But "if they're huge bills … then it will take a long time and they might even get defeated," Lott said.

He also left the door open to letting the more expensive bills move to conference and then encouraging the House to accept them just so the president could use his veto, which Lott referred to as the "ultimate weapon."

Lott also said he would not be willing to accept a potential deal--pushed by Senate Democratic leaders--on the fiscal 2002 supplemental spending bill to force House Republicans to accept $9 billion more in spending. Lott said if Democrats were willing to negotiate downward the $768 billion spending target, then he would be amenable; otherwise, he is a "little nervous aboutpushing for a higher number early," given the penchant to revise spending upward as Congress moves closer to adjournment.

Republicans, using an array of 1970s memorabilia such as Tang and Triscuits, poked fun at Democrats for being the first majority in 28 years that could not pass a resolution. Lott dedicated the Jacksons' song "Dancing Machine" to Daschle because "that's what you get when you start asking about appropriations and the budget."

Responding to the criticism, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., pointed out that Republicans have twice thwarted a deal--once on the supplemental and again on the FY03 defense authorization bill--to set a budget cap and extend budget enforcement disciplines.

"If they're wondering who is responsible for failing to have a budget in place this year, they need only look in the mirror," Conrad said.