Bush sends Congress $2.57 trillion budget

AP ^ | 2/7/5 | MARTIN CRUTSINGER

[JohnnyZ]

Many of the spending cuts in the budget are repeats of efforts the administration has proposed and Congress has rejected previously.

Let's see if Congress can get their butts in gear.

[RockinRight]

seeks deep spending cuts across a wide swath of government from reducing subsidies paid to the nation's farmers, cutting health care payments for poor people and veterans and trimming spending on the environment and education

I should hope so.

[RockinRight]

Are these actual cuts in spending, or cuts in the increases of spending??

[RockinRight]

There is no "cost" to tax cuts. First off, tax cuts spur growth which increases revenue. During Reagan's 8 years every tax cut resulted in a revenue increase.

Secondly, it's OUR damn money.

[inquest]

But Democrats complained that Bush was resorting to draconian cuts that would hurt the needy in order to protect his first term tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy.

What do you mean, "media bias"?

[COEXERJ145]

Are these actual cuts in spending, or cuts in the increases of spending??

Probably some of both. (Of course to the media and their Democrat allies, both are portrayed as "cuts" that will starve old people and children.)

[malakhi]

Cynics and malcontents are never satisfied.

I'm dissatisfied with a $2.57 trillion budget, with a record $427 billion deficit. If that makes me a cynic and a malcontent, so be it.

So much for being the party of fiscal conservatism.

[ClaireSolt]

Across the board cuts are chickenshit, in my opinion. I like the oversight idea, even though it is not considered sexy without a scandal.

[inquest]

Spending, meanwhile, would grow by 3.5 percent to $2.57 trillion.

Anyone know if that's in real dollars?

[OXENinFLA]

C-span1 NOON (est)

News Conference Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Office of Management and Budget White House, Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Bolten, Joshua B., Director, Office of Management and Budget

Mr. Bolten will present the president's budget request for fiscal year 2006.

[jpl]

I'll bet the phrases "2.57 trillion" and "austere" have never before appeared in the same story.

By my calculations, $2.57 trillion comes out to roughly $8,500 for every man, woman, and child in America.

And I love how budgetary increases below the rate of inflation always qualify as "deep spending cuts".

[T. Jefferson]

You beat me to it. Stealing less money out of our wallets doesn't cost one penny, it just slows the rate of theft. If I were Bush, I would propose a one year deficit reduction plan, a budget that contains no increases in spending in any department. Then business as usual. Bite the lower lip during the announcement. It would slash close to $300 billion. Any dem who complains, portray him as the source of the problem, a big government spender.

[inquest]

Bush's 2006 spending plan, for the budget year that begins next Oct. 1, counts on a healthy economy to boost revenues by 6.1 percent to $2.18 trillion. Spending, meanwhile, would grow by 3.5 percent to $2.57 trillion.

Something's not making sense here. If revenues are growing considerably faster than expenditures, that would cause the deficit to go down, would it not? So how is it that they're saying that this would be a "record" deficit?

[malakhi]

Any dem who complains, portray him as the source of the problem, a big government spender.

Kinda hard to blame the Democrats here, considering that Republicans control the administration and both houses of congress.

[Ben Ficklin]

It is publihed at the OMB website.

[Ben Ficklin]

2006 Budget

[RockinRight]

As much as I'd like to see this headline:

Bush Proposes 35% Slash in Spending Across the Board

I am glad to see anything at this point.

[Rutles4Ever]

Wow - this is the same budget my wife presented to me yesterday.

[inquest]

Thanks for that link. If you follow the second link at the top of that page, and then scroll down, you'll see how he works his budget "magic". He disguises his spending items as tax credits for various purposes, as if that makes everything better. It's nothing but a shell game.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>I'm dissatisfied with a $2.57 trillion budget, with a record $427 billion deficit.

Is this the first strike at seriously rolling back government spending? I doubt it. Conservatives consider Bush a big government Republican. I don't think these proposed cuts will change that fact either. Legitimate tax reform would be a big step in removing hard cash from the fiscally irresponsible politicos who don't care about advancing a true conservatism agenda.