Bush grudgingly signs budget-$555 BILLION- wants more money for war

[babylonsister]

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/bush_signs_budget_wants_more_w.html


Bush signs budget; wants more money for war

by Matthew Hay Brown

The battle over the 2008 budget ended today aboard Air Force One, where President Bush grudgingly signed the $555 billion omnibus spending bill passed last week by Congress – while suggesting that he was still looking for areas to cut.

“This legislation contains certain provisions similar to those found in prior appropriations bills passed by the Congress that might be construed to be inconsistent with my Constitutional responsibilities,” Bush said in a statement issued this afternoon by the White House. “To avoid such potential infirmities, the executive branch will interpret and construe such provisions in the same manner as I have previously stated in regard to similar provisions.”

Bush said he was “disappointed” by the nearly 9,800 lawmaker earmarks that added more than $10 billion to the federal budget. “These projects are not funded through a merit-based process and provide a vehicle for wasteful Government spending,” he said.

But he also said that the legislation would fund the federal government “within the reasonable and responsible spending levels I proposed – without raising taxes and without the most objectionable policy changes considered by Congress.”

The omnibus comprises the 11 outstanding spending bills plus some of the money Bush requested for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congressional Democrats had sought to condition war funding on the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, but were unable to muster the necessary votes.

Bush now gets the partial funding with no strings attached. He said Congress should “quickly take action next year to provide the remainder of the funding needed by our troops.”

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/bush_signs_budget_wants_more_w.html

[Hydra]

1. GWB complains about 10 Billion

while he demands hundreds of billions for his cronies in the MIC.

I feel like I'm in wonderland more every day.

[JuniperLea]

2. How much more money do these greedy assholes need???!??!??!??!

I'm so sick of this. When will the BushBots understand that our troops are not benefiting from this money??

[babylonsister]

3. Bushbots? Ask that of your Congressional reps; they're equally at fault. nt

[lame54]

4. At this point they are more at fault

[JuniperLea]

6. Absolutely! The worst kind of BushBot!!! eom

[JuniperLea]

5. They are the biggest BushBots!!!

That's what I'm saying... hell in a hand basket I tell you.

[Bitwit1234]

7. At least the Democrats ear marks don't include such things

as bridges to nowhere, a gold plating of a statue, a metro line to the middle of Alaska again to nowhere. the things the Democrats requested are things needed by these states.

[Thothmes]

12. At least

Doesn't make any difference, the ear mark system is rotten and corrupt. It places local political interest over the needs of the nation. $14 Billion in earmarks in this bill. Don't suppose there are some programs of national interest or at least regional interest that go unfunded because a few dozen Senators and a couple of hundred Representatives carved out a small piece of the Federal pie to help ensure their reelections. BTW, I am not sure that funding the Rangle office building warrants Federal Funding. Both parties are culpable in taxpayer ripoff.

[PDJane]

8. Impeach.

What that weasel wording meant was that he will interpret anything that might help anyone but his corporate cronies out of existence.

He will not follow any guidelines that would help the people of the US, the soldiers of the empire, or anyone not belonging to the corporatocracy. He will continue to act like a third world dictator. He will continue to ignore US law, internatinal law, and treaties as he sees fit.

[n2doc]

9. MFer fought tooth and nail to keep spending down on science

He and his allies made damn sure that the National Scoence Foundation, NASA, DOE and the rest got pennies in comparison, basically kept even with inflation, while blowing trillions on the war. And Congress just went right along with it....
And we wonder why the rest of the world is passing us by...
Stupid and ignorant, that's the repuke way!

:puke:

[kimmerspixelated]

10. THE MADNESS MUST END!!!

And we cannot wait till Jan. 2009!

[Historic NY]

11. Headline should be "Bush caves in, signs Democrats budget bill"

[MiniMe]

13. I wonder what the signing statement he surely put on it is?