Conservative group hits Republicans in Congress, Bush over spending

RAW STORY

The American Conservative Union, the nation's oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization, demanded President Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress take action to rein in federal spending Wednesday, questioning how Bush can afford the large sums Congress was doling out in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts while still maintaining federal spending levels, RAW STORY has learned.

"Clearly the terrible tragedy resulting from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina will require substantial federal resources to be expended, and all Americans support this relief effort," ACU Chairman David Keene said in a release. "But the idea that Congress should spend tens of billions of dollars on this relief effort in the absence of reprioritizing overall federal spending makes absolutely no sense."

Top Republicans will delay votes on making President Bush's tax cuts permanent. The U.S. already bears huge payments to maintain a continuing presence in Iraq and Afghanistan -- more than $1 billion a week. The federal debt has ballooned to over $2 trillion since 2000 and now stands at $7.9 trillion.

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"We found that there's plenty of time to do everything that we want to do," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) told reporters Tuesday of his plans to delay tax cuts.

That tax package was to have been debated this month. It will be delayed to make room for Katrina legislation, House and Senate officials told AP.

Meanwhile, a vote to repeal the estate tax has been shelved indefinitely.

The ACU's Keene said conservatives are increasingly "losing faith" in Bush and GOP leaders.

"Because of these massive increases in federal largess, conservatives throughout the United States are increasingly losing faith in the President and the Republican Leadership in Congress to adequately prioritize and rein in overall federal spending," Keene remarked.

"Let us not lose sight of the fact that prior to Hurricane Katrina, federal government spending was already spiraling out of control," Keene added. "Excluding military and homeland security, American taxpayers have witnessed the largest spending increase under any preceding president and Congress since the Great Depression."


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