Dems seek to put onus on GOP with new spending package

Democratic leaders are considering a complicated budget strategy reminiscent of the spring's Iraq supplemental fight to pave the way for additional war spending as well as domestic increases above President Bush's request.

Top Democrats held out hope for an agreement that would avoid a veto, but the fallback strategy under consideration is designed to make it as painful as possible for 146 House Republicans -- the number needed to sustain a veto -- to oppose the measure.

Under the emerging plan, the House will take up an omnibus bill totaling roughly $520 billion, including about $30 billion for the Pentagon, as early as Tuesday. Since the measure would be considered as an "amendment between the chambers," with the Senate-passed fiscal 2008 State-Foreign Operations measure the likely vehicle, rather than a conference report, it would be open for amendment in the Senate.

That would enable Senate Republicans to boost the war-funding price tag closer to $70 billion, which the Pentagon is seeking. Some Republicans have expressed an interest in shaving domestic spending to something slightly closer to the president's proposed level, allowing them to argue they were able to wrangle extra concessions.

Those could be incorporated into Senate amendments to the underlying bill. Then the measure would bounce back to the House, with separate votes on amendments to the war-funding title and then on the underlying package of 11 appropriations bills.

That strategy is similar to the tactic House Democrats employed with the war supplemental in May, when they structured debate to allow separate votes on Bush's war-funding bill with targeted increases and then on a package of domestic initiatives. Just as in the debate over war funding in the spring, the strategy would allow anti-war House Democrats to vote against the war piece and for the domestic spending, and vice-versa on the GOP side. The plan would be designed to play out around Dec. 14.

If Bush vetoes the final bill and enough Republicans support him, the alternative would be to stay in session until Christmas to take up a bill that cuts domestic programs to Bush's overall $933 billion spending target. That would eliminate many programs and earmarks important to Republicans, including emergency spending on border security, drought aid and wildfire suppression.

Democratic leaders were optimistic it would not get to that point. "I'm hopeful the administration and the Congress and the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate can come to agreement on reasonable numbers on appropriations bills. Clearly the administration is very focused on funding for the effort in Iraq," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called his discussions with White House Chief of Staff Bolten constructive and cordial but emphasized "we're not at the negotiation stage yet."

Reid added, "We're working as everyone knows on getting our spending bills completed, if there's money in that for war-fighting, we will look at it as we always do."