Congress Moving Defense Money to Domestic

Congress Moving Defense Money to Domestic

Friday June 10, 2005 8:46 PM

By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress is switching billions of dollars from President Bush's military and foreign aid budgets to popular domestic programs he wanted to cut or eliminate.

Just six weeks ago the House and Senate passed a budget plan that mostly mirrored Bush's, forecasting cuts averaging 1 percent from domestic agencies, including the Energy, Education and Agriculture departments.

But the Capitol Hill spending barons who are putting the budget blueprint into law, through 11 appropriations bills, are pulling out old tricks to squeeze money from the president's priorities and devote it instead to their own, especially with grants to state and local governments and, of course, hometown projects.

Bush's spending targets for foreign aid and the Defense and State departments are being whacked by billions of dollars in the process. It's an open secret that the Pentagon cuts will probably be restored through emergency funding that's supposed to pay for the war in Iraq.
(snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5065981,00.html

the fatcats in congress are happy.

for "smaller government" under Republican "leadership".

Whew! I thought for a second there that Halliburton's executives would have to make do with last year's model yacht! Got all nervous for nothin'.

I'm sure * and co. will take care of their own.:mad:

We ought to have a 'lame-duck' smiley.

It looks like the Congressional Republiscams are getting a little tense about their prospects in '06 - as well they should be.

The terror alerts should begin again in a few late 2005, and the spectre of gay marriage will return to haunt the masses again.