Democrats press attack on Bush's budget, tax cut

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Congressional Democrats Sunday continued their line of attack that President Bush's proposed budget, unveiled earlier this month, cuts too much from needed programs to pay for a tax cut they describe as too big.

"There's a reason why President Bush waited until Congress had left town (for its Easter recess) before he delivered the budget to Capitol Hill. He just knew that it wouldn't work," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"What George Bush did is he picked his tax cut and then sort of built a budget around it," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

INTERACTIVE Highlights of Bush's 2002 proposed budget     FYI What is Bush's budget plan? A discussion guide for parents, educators     FULL TEXT President Bush's federal budget for fiscal year 2002 (PDF format) Documents in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.   RESOURCE Whitehouse.gov: President Bush's budget blueprint More documents from the White House Office of Management and Budget     MESSAGE BOARD Taxing and spending: Bush budget

"You wouldn't do that in your family. You would sort of sit down and see what your needs are," Boxer added. "And then, in fact, you would say, 'Well, yes, we can give some back to one of the kids for a special vacation.' "

But on the Sunday talk shows, Republicans countered that excessive spending by Congress, not the tax cut, is what poses the most serious challenge when lawmakers return to Washington to grapple with fiscal issues.

"Unless there's a prioritization of spending on education, national defense (and) basic scientific research, there's not going to be enough left for the taxpayers, who, in my view, ought to get some of the surplus back," said Sen. George Allen, R-Virginia, on NBC. "We're going to have to show some spending discipline, because every amount of spending on new programs will mean less in a tax cut."

While the House has passed a tax cut and budget blueprint along the lines of what Bush wants, the Senate cut back his proposed tax cut from $1.6 trillion to approximately $1.3 trillion over 10 years. The Senate also approved a spending plan that calls for an increase of more than 7 percent in discretionary spending, higher than the 4 percent that Bush wants.

One leading House Republican, Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois, predicted that the tax cut will be "very close" to Bush's $1.6 trillion figure, although he said he thinks a spending cap of 4 percent was a "negotiating figure" on Bush's part.

"The Democrats have been inching incrementally closer and close to President Bush's figure," Hyde said on NBC. "The budget will be massaged, and we'll get some solutions."

Even Boxer, a critic of Bush's fiscal plan, conceded that Congress may split the difference and approve a tax cut between the president's number and what the Senate has approved, which would amount to about $1.4 trillion.

"I certainly hope not, because, at that level, we don't have enough to take care of paying down our debt," she said. "We don't have enough to really invest in education, make sure we save Social Security and Medicare. So I would hope they wouldn't split the difference.

"But if history is a guide, that's what will happen. It will take the American people speaking out, which we're beginning to see more and more."

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Senate deals sharp blow to Bush tax plans
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The White House
 • U.S. President George W. Bush
U.S. Office of Management and Budget
U.S. Congressional Budget Office

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