Hill GOP exploring deeper spending cuts [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Wednesday, February 11, 2004


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Hill GOP exploring deeper spending cuts
By ALAN FRAM / Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republicans are exploring whether they have the votes to curtail spending more than President Bush has proposed, reflecting their desire to flash signs of fiscal responsibility in this election year.

While Bush used his 2005 budget last week to propose holding most domestic programs to growth of 0.5 percent — well below the inflation rate — many conservatives want to go further. They are writing plans to hold such spending to last year's levels or make actual cuts — and to be more aggressive than Bush's goal of halving the mammoth federal deficit in five years.

"We don't think it goes far enough," Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., a conservative leader, said of Bush's plan for spending restraint. "We're not going to harm things by doing a freeze. That's not asking much of people."

House Republicans planned to meet behind closed doors Wednesday to agree on the direction they would take this year in writing a budget.
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