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Saturday, Feb. 17, 2001

Bush is expected to take what the White House has called an economic blueprint before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 27. In it he will detail how he plans to pay for his ambitious social, education and tax proposals that he has showcased one at a time since taking office less than a month ago.

"The work begins with a responsible budget. In Washington, people deal with trillions of dollars and sometimes can forget that every bit of it is someone's earnings. My job is to make sure no one forgets. We must be good stewards of your tax dollars," Bush said.

Since taking office, Bush has touted his faith-based initiatives, which would allow religious organizations access to federal dollars to run social programs. He also has promised people with disabilities low-interest loans for technology that would make their lives easier and grants for businesses and communities that would better integrate the disabled into the workplace.

And this week, during a three-day tour of U.S. Army and Navy bases, Bush promised service personnel he would pump $1.4 billion into the Pentagon for pay hikes, $3.9 billion to upgrade military health benefits and another $400 million for improvements to base housing. That commitment came a few days before he ordered air strikes on Iraq for that country's violation of a "no-fly"zone, established during Desert Storm, the Pentagon's name for the 1991 U.S.-led campaign to evict Iraqi soldiers from Kuwait.

Opponents criticized Bush as he introduced his initiatives for not saying where the money would come from to pay for his plans. They fear Bush's proposals may ultimately erode the budget surplus, leave no money available for paying off the national debt, and endanger the entitlement trust funds Medicare and Social Security.

He said Saturday he plans to increase spending for the U.S. Department of Education as well.

"So my budget for the Department of Education will have a higher percentage increase than any other federal department," Bush said in his weekly radio address to the nation. Education was a mainstay during his campaign.

On Tuesday and Wednesday Bush plans to travel to Ohio, Tennessee and Missouri to push his message on education spending, which was a keystone of his presidential campaign, and in 10 days he is expected to present his fiscal year 2002 budget to a joint session of Congress.

"We'll pay for new testing programs and new reading and intervention programs, and new choices for parents with children in failing schools. We will spend more on our public schools, but we're going to expect more in return, and this will improve the lives of countless children." Bush said Saturday.

Bush's spending proposal for education is a turn around for Republicans who in years past had wanted to drastically cut funding for the Education Department, with some GOP lawmakers seeking abolition of the agency.

Rumblings from Capitol Hill signal Bush's version of a tax cut proposal may fall short of the Senate votes needed for passage. Bush wants an across-the-board $1.6 trillion tax cut for Americans, elimination of the inheritance tax and the marriage penalty tax.

"My tax relief plan is a fair one, lowering the rate for all taxpayers," said Bush in his radio address. "The typical family of four with two children will get $1,600 in tax relief. And the greatest benefits, the largest percentage reductions, will go to those who need them most."

Bush had said Friday he is confident that he will have the support in the Senate that he needs.

Bush's comments in his radio address came as he relaxed on his ranch in Crawford after spending Friday with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Leon. There, Bush and Fox agreed to continue high-level discussions in what they called the "Guanajuato Proposal," which outlines their plans for energy, immigration and trade, and for advancing Bush's vision of a "hemispheric" relationship between their countries and Canada.

(C) 2001 UPI All Rights Reserved.

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