White House objects to proposed Defense cuts

The White House is objecting to Senate Republican efforts to scale back President Bush's defense spending plans, saying the move imperils the Bush administration's effort to upgrade the military while conducting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua Bolten issued a letter Tuesday to Budget Committee Chairman Don Nickles, R-Okla., and ranking member Kent Conrad, D-N.D., expressing alarm about the GOP budget plan's reduction in President Bush's proposed spending on defense. A copy of the letter was provided to CongressDaily.

The Budget Committee, in defiance of the White House and some pro-defense Republicans, slashed $7 billion from Bush's military spending request.

"The defense program presented in the president's [fiscal 2005] budget request continues a multiyear plan that builds upon the progress we have made in training, equipping, supporting and reshaping the nation's military," Bolten wrote.

"We are deeply concerned about the potential effect of the committee's reduction on that plan, and look forward to working with you and your colleagues as the resolution moves forward, and throughout the legislative process, to make absolutely sure that our military has the resources it needs to accomplish its mission," he wrote.

The letter does not, however, contain any complaint about Nickles' decision to trim another $2 billion from Bush's domestic spending request -- though it does not specifically support the move, either.

"The budget resolution produced by your committee supports the president's homeland security request and makes further reductions to non-defense/non-homeland security-related spending," Bolten noted. "We appreciate the committee's commitment to fiscal restraint, and we look forward to working with you to hold down the growth in this category of spending."

Similarly, the letter compliments the committee for taking action to extend laws providing an increased child tax credit, marriage penalty relief and an expansion of the 10 percent tax bracket, while not specifically pointing to the panel's failure to protect other portions of the 2001 tax cut.