Amid Veto Threat, House Extends Homeland Security Debate
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The House is considering a $36.3 billion Homeland Security Department budget plan that President Bush threatened to veto because it would spend $2 billion more than he proposed.
“This bill and the Democrats’ budget would lead to spending and tax increases that put economic growth and a balanced budget at risk,” according to a White House statement released Tuesday. Mr. Bush “would veto the bill” because the measure doesn’t follow his budget plan.
The House failed to bring the measure up for a vote early this morning after the Republicans proposed more than 100 amendments calling for small cuts in the department’s budget.
Concern about terrorists taking over airplanes and illegal immigrants crossing the borders “more than justifies this funding,” said Rep. David Price, a North Carolina Democrat who heads the homeland security appropriations subcommittee. The Republican move was a protest against the amount of money in the legislation and so-called earmarks, which are pet projects lawmakers insert into spending measures that receive little or no scrutiny.
“Let’s see if we can cut out some fat, even if it’s a little fat, out of the Department of Homeland Security,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican.
