February 11, 2009 4:51 PM
- Text
Congress Approves $2.9 Trillion Budget
(AP)
Congress gave final approval on Thursday to a $2.9 trillion budget plan that promises big spending increases for education and health care and a federal surplus in five years.
The Senate's 52-40 vote probably sets up veto confrontations with President Bush over spending increases and the fate of many of his expiring tax cuts.
Shortly before the Senate vote, the House passed the measure by a 214-209 vote without a single Republican voting for it.
The nonbinding measure is not sent to Mr. Bush for his signature or veto. Rather, it sets parameters for Congress to follow when writing tax and spending legislation later this year.
The blueprint is for the budget year that begins Oct. It also makes a statement about Democrats' differences with Mr. Bush and was seen as a critical test of Democrats' ability to govern.
The budget plan seeks to bolster domestic programs whose budgets the president has curbed. It also would let a number of tax cuts expire.
The measure would permit increases averaging 5 percent for domestic programs funded by the 12 annual appropriations bills. That includes education, community development grants, veterans' medical care and health insurance for children of the working poor.
Mr. Bush wanted to effectively freeze such programs and has pledged to veto spending bills that break his budget goals.
Democrats said their budget measure would put the government $41 billion in the black by 2012, after steady deficits since 2002. They said the measure also would reverse Bush's clampdown on domestic agencies' annual budgets passed by Congress.
"Our budget does more for veterans' health care, more for more for children's health care, and more for education," said House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt Jr., D-S.C.
"This budget comes to balance in five years and runs a surplus of $41 billion in 2012. Contrast that with the president's budget, which remains always in deficit."
The Democratic plan endorses Mr. Bush's 11 percent increase in the Pentagon's budget and his $145 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year.
The Senate's 52-40 vote probably sets up veto confrontations with President Bush over spending increases and the fate of many of his expiring tax cuts.
Shortly before the Senate vote, the House passed the measure by a 214-209 vote without a single Republican voting for it.
The nonbinding measure is not sent to Mr. Bush for his signature or veto. Rather, it sets parameters for Congress to follow when writing tax and spending legislation later this year.
The blueprint is for the budget year that begins Oct. It also makes a statement about Democrats' differences with Mr. Bush and was seen as a critical test of Democrats' ability to govern.
The budget plan seeks to bolster domestic programs whose budgets the president has curbed. It also would let a number of tax cuts expire.
The measure would permit increases averaging 5 percent for domestic programs funded by the 12 annual appropriations bills. That includes education, community development grants, veterans' medical care and health insurance for children of the working poor.
Mr. Bush wanted to effectively freeze such programs and has pledged to veto spending bills that break his budget goals.
Democrats said their budget measure would put the government $41 billion in the black by 2012, after steady deficits since 2002. They said the measure also would reverse Bush's clampdown on domestic agencies' annual budgets passed by Congress.
"Our budget does more for veterans' health care, more for more for children's health care, and more for education," said House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt Jr., D-S.C.
"This budget comes to balance in five years and runs a surplus of $41 billion in 2012. Contrast that with the president's budget, which remains always in deficit."
The Democratic plan endorses Mr. Bush's 11 percent increase in the Pentagon's budget and his $145 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year.
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