Moderates blow by Bush's spending cap

Moderate Republicans in both chambers asserted themselves Thursday, challenging President Bush's proposed stringent limits on discretionary spending for domestic programs with plans that exceed the spending cap.

The Senate narrowly approved a $2.8 trillion fiscal 2007 budget resolution, 51-49, after voting to essentially add more than $16 billion to the budget's proposed $873 billion discretionary spending cap. Of that total, $7 billion would come from "advance" appropriations for education, health care and worker safety.

The amendment, backed by 28 Republicans and sponsored by Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and ranking member Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, was adopted on a 73-27 vote.

"The Republican party is now basically moderate," Specter said. He voted for the budget resolution after assurances GOP leaders would honor his demands for funding increases later in the year during the fiscal 2007 appropriations process.

Across the Capitol, 23 moderate Republicans wrote to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., threatening to oppose the still-developing budget resolution and later appropriations bills unless GOP leaders agree to a 2 percent increase, or about $8 billion, for non-security discretionary spending.

"It is imperative that we maintain critical federal investments in education, health care, housing, veterans' services and key urban support programs, among other areas," states the letter spearheaded by Reps. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., and Fred Upton, R-Mich. "Failure to make such a commitment in the overall budget amount could make it difficult for members to support individual appropriations bills as they move forward."

The letter came as the House overwhelmingly approved a $91.9 billion fiscal 2006 emergency supplemental bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane relief, over the vocal objections of conservatives.

Two costly amendments proposed by Democrats almost squeaked through with widespread GOP support, each failing by only two votes. Republican leaders beat back an amendment by Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., to add $1.9 billion for housing grants in his hurricane-battered state, 212-210, while an amendment by Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Martin Olav Sabo, D-Minn., to add $1.2 billion for port security failed, 210-208.

In the other chamber, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., won a 51-49 victory to add $3.3 billion for low-income energy subsidies, while Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., won voice-vote approval to add $1.2 billion by striking Bush's proposed airline ticket fee increases.

Those amendments and others had the combined effect of adding $9.5 billion to the $873 billion spending cap. Combined with the Specter-Harkin amendment, which does not technically add to the budget cap but nonetheless would provide real funding, roughly an additional $16.5 billion would be provided under the fiscal 2007 budget resolution, said Senate Budget ranking member Kent Conrad, D-N.D.

Even that was not enough for moderate GOP Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who were opposed to provisions opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration. Republican leaders were forced to lean on Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, the lone Democrat to vote "aye."

Her support was contingent on a Gulf Coast relief package of as much as $10 billion, to be financed by any additional revenues above CBO estimates generated from Arctic and coastal drilling, as well as broadcast spectrum sales.

"These kind of votes are never easy but sometimes they are necessary," Landrieu told reporters. "I most certainly don't relish this position [but] I came here to represent the state of Louisiana, period."

Darren Goode contributed to this report.