This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. EDT.
President Bush threatened today to veto the House's fiscal 2008 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, citing what he said was "irresponsible and excessive" spending.
The House is expected to take up tomorrow the $53.6 billion measure, which includes the departments of Commerce and Justice and federal science agencies -- and exceeds the White House budget request by $2.3 billion.
The CJS bill is the sixth fiscal 2008 appropriations measure that Bush has threatened to veto, even as Democratic congressional leaders have pushed the White House for a budget compromise.
In a Friday letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked President Bush for a meeting with the hope of "avoid[ing] a protracted battle over relatively small differences."
The difference between congressional appropriations and the White House budget request amounts to about 1 percent of the $2.9 trillion federal budget, or about $22 billion, the Democrats said.
In the CJS bill, one area of contention is the House funding level for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- about $3.95 billion, an increase of about $195 million over the White House request of $3.811 billion.
In its latest statement of administration policy, the White House today urged lawmakers to jettison earmarks and reduce spending on "lower priority items" in the House CJS measure.
As it now stands, the fiscal 2008 bill marks the first time in at least half a decade the House is poised to approve an overall increase in NOAA funding, as part of Appropriations Committee Democrats' stated focus on climate change and oceans-related spending.
Advertisement
