Senate rejects Bush call for smaller funding bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled Senate on
Wednesday, ignoring a veto threat from President George W.
Bush, blocked an effort to pare back an emergency funding bill
for the Iraq war and U.S. hurricane rebuilding.

By a procedural vote of 72-26, the Senate stopped further
debate of an amendment that would have cut the $106.5 billion
spending bill to $94.5 billion, which would have brought it in
line with Bush’s request.

The vote came less than 24 hours after the White House, in
unusually blunt language, warned the Senate that Bush would
veto any bill that spends more than the $94.5 billion he has
requested.

Bush was responding to conservative Republicans in
Congress, who are trying to scale back a spending bill that
originally was intended to maintain U.S. war efforts abroad and
Hurricane Katrina-related redevelopment in southern states.

The Senate began debate on Monday of a much broader
“emergency” spending bill, one that gives new federal disaster
aid to farmers and spends money on military programs that
critics claim are not essential to the war.

The Senate bill also has come under attack for funding
special-interest development projects in Gulf Coast states and
other regions.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, a
Mississippi Republican whose state was hard-hit by Hurricane
Katrina, challenged the White House and its veto threat.

“Do we want to ignore … the needs that are clear and
important and serious that are addressed by the funding in this
legislation?” Cochran said.

The lopsided result indicated there could be enough support
in the Senate to override a possible Bush veto.

Even if the Senate, possibly next week, passes a much
larger than requested spending bill, it could be downsized by
House-Senate negotiators before being sent to Bush for his
signature or veto. The House backed Bush’s request.