Govs. Get Message of Fiscal Austerity
Tue Feb 24, 4:12 PM ET
By ROBERT TANNER, AP National Writer
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist gave the nation's governors a message of fiscal austerity on Tuesday, warning that domestic programs won't see higher spending as the government tries to cut the deficit.
AP Photo
The Tennessee Republican offered some hope on the federal highway bill, but he asked the governors to help convince President Bush (news - web sites) that a more expensive bill would spur job growth and make essential improvements to the nation's transportation system.
Both the House and Senate have passed road bills significantly larger than $256 billion, which the White House has said is about what's necessary to avoid the first veto of Bush's presidency. Frist has said the White House might accept $290 billion.
Governors, wrapping up their annual four-day gathering with appeals for bipartisan cooperation, also heard from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who said Bush's budget was a disappointment that "shortchanges America's children."
While she said Democrats would fight for more money, Frist said the government would remain focused on reducing the deficit, projected at $521 billion this year. Republicans control both the House and the Senate.
"This is probably the No. 1 issue for the American people: getting the deficit down," Frist said. "The governors must expect flat funding on everything other than homeland security and defense. Not just the governors, but the American people."
If there should be any decision to increase spending on education or health care, it would mean reductions in other domestic spending, he said.
Governors were not surprised, even though many had spent their days here demanding more help from Washington on education, health care and homeland security, as well as roads.
"This is a very grim message for governors, whether Republican or Democrat," said Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania's Democratic governor. "They've given people these tax cuts ... that do cause the deficit, and it forces all of us to raise taxes."
Republicans said they would press instead for flexibility from the federal government, and seek help within existing means.
"If you start with the view that there's never enough money, then there's always unfunded mandates," said Jeb Bush, Florida's GOP governor. "I share my brother's view. ... I worry that there's not the fiscal discipline here (in Washington)."
Pelosi, in remarks to reporters, said Democrats were simply seeking enough money to pay for the programs the administration has instituted, like Bush's No Child Left Behind education law or long-standing promises from the government to help pay for special education programs.
"We have enough when we fund No Child Left Behind," she said.
Frist said he was hopeful that congressional leaders could negotiate a compromise on the transportation bill, which faces a possible veto. The Senate passed a measure at $318 billion, and House leaders have talked of spending much more than that. Frist said he would push for a full six-year measure to be passed this year.
"It's important to the economies, to rural business, to safety and obviously to the creation of jobs," he said. "This bill will create 2 million jobs. And these are jobs that will not and cannot be outsourced." |
