GOP Pushing for Spending and Tax Cuts

[cal04]

Republican leaders in Congress are hoping to complete a bill to curb the growth of student loans, Medicaid and other benefit programs before Christmas, though they may delay extending tax cuts until next year. Staff aides and lobbyists are skeptical about the prospects of finishing work in the next few weeks on five-year spending cuts of up to $50 billion.

But failure to deliver would disappoint GOP loyalists eager to see their party burnish its budget-cutting credentials, and would push the contentious issue into January or February, muddying the agenda for 2006. The House returns for a scheduled two-week session on Tuesday; senators do not come back until next week.

(snip)
As negotiations continue between the House and Senate on the spending cuts, House GOP leaders will press ahead to garner support for a bill to preserve the tax cuts won by President Bush, but which are set to expire unless lawmakers extend. Last month, the leaders put off an attempt to pass the tax bill because of resistance from lawmakers who were reluctant to vote for the cuts so quickly after approving reduced spending for Medicaid, food stamps and other programs aimed at the poor.

The GOP tax bill would extend the reduced tax rates for capital gains and dividends. A companion Senate plan that passed with bipartisan support does not included those provisions; it would provide relief middle-class wage earners from the alternative minimum tax. That tax was designed to prevent wealthy individuals from avoiding taxes, but now falls on an increasing number of middle-class families. Other items on the legislative agenda over the next two weeks are:
_the Patriot Act. The anti-terrorism law probably will be extended.
_a $453 billion defense spending bill. Lawmakers probably will send to the president the measure, which contains a $50 billion infusion for the war in
Iraq.
_Bush's request to shift $17 billion already approved for hurricane relief to new purposes such as rebuilding highways, levees and federal facilities. The plan also may get a congressional OK. Less certain is the fate of a $602 billion spending measure for the departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services. The House has rejected a negotiated compromise with the Senate. It would have cut spending for programs by about $1.4 billion over the levels of the prior year. The prospects are not clear for the president's $7.1 billion request to combat a potential bird flu pandemic. Conservatives in the House oppose rubber-stamping the request without finding spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051205/ap_on_go_co/congress_agenda_2

[regnaD kciN]

1. Pope determined to be Catholic...

In other news, experts report strong likelihood sun rises in east and sets in west.

:eyes:

[Auntie Bush]

2. It's so easy to balance the budget

their way. All they have to do, and will do, is slash or eliminate ALL the social programs for the poor, school aid/loans, S.S., Medicare, Medicaid and Prescription insurance! Wallah! Budget balanced! Twas easy! Ahhhh! Now they have tons of money for more wars and more tax cuts for bush* cronies. They have complete control of the whole government so what are they waiting for?

[guruoo]

3. $50B from college loans, Medicaid = $50B more for Iraq

'a $453 billion defense spending bill. Lawmakers probably will send to the president the measure, which contains a $50 billion infusion for the war in Iraq.'

'Staff aides and lobbyists are skeptical about the prospects of finishing work in the next few weeks on five-year spending cuts of up to $50 billion.'