WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As a watch-dog against ineffective
and wasteful government spending, CapitolWatch supports President Bush's
threat to veto an excessive $106.5 billion emergency spending bill for the
Iraq War and rebuilding costs associated with Hurricane Katrina. The bill
currently proposed in the Senate exceeds the Administration's request by
more than $14 billion.
According to Steve Ralls, Executive Director of CapitolWatch, "This is
just another example of Congress using well intentioned legislation as a
vehicle for their pet projects. An emergency spending bill is not the place
to try and sneak these projects past the American public."
The additional cost is a result of "special-interest" spending, on such
items as $700 million for new roads, $4 billion for farmers hit by drought,
floods and high energy costs, $2.3 billion to combat the avian flu and $1.1
billion in aid for Gulf Coast fisheries.
The President announced his veto intentions if the bill exceeds $92.2
billion, in a White House statement on Tuesday. "The Administration is
seriously concerned with the overall funding level and the numerous
unrequested items included in the Senate bill that are unrelated to the war
or emergency hurricane relief needs," said an official White House
statement. "The final version of the legislation must remain focused on
addressing urgent national priorities while maintaining fiscal discipline."
SOURCE CapitolWatch
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Related links:
http://www.capitolwatch.org
CONTACT:
Steve Ralls of CapitolWatch, +1-703-430-6617
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