While criticism from Democrats is to be expected, many of Bush's
fiercest supporters are the angriest.

For example, Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, immediately dismissed Bush's agriculture
proposals.

"I don't think anyone in the administration really thought Congress
would go along with this," Cochran said.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), chairman of the Agriculture Committee,
has also voiced his objections.

One House committee chairman said that behind closed doors,
Republicans are complaining bitterly about the proposed budget cuts.

In a public sign of the tensions, House Budget Committee Chairman Jim
Nussle (R-Iowa) lectured fellow Republicans on his committee during a
hearing last week.

"I don't like some of the cuts I've seen in the agricultural budget,"
he said.

"We are all going to have something we don't like. But you're not
allowed to just come out here and criticize it and say you don't like
it, and 'no' is the answer. 'No' is not an answer, all right? We're
going to come up with alternatives and solutions if you want to be
credible."

GOP lawmakers are in turn getting an earful from usually supportive
organizations.

Thomas Cadmus, national commander of the American Legion, said the
proposed cuts to veterans' health care are "not acceptable" and are an
attempt "to raise revenue at the expense of veterans."

(Some veterans who do not have service-related illnesses or injuries
would be charged annual fees and higher prescription costs.)

The American Farm Bureau Federation, likewise, has complained about
the billions of dollars in agricultural cuts.

Peterson, the rural caucus co-chair, cites several program cuts that
would hit particularly hard in Bush country:

elimination of rural hospital flexibility grants for critical access
hospitals;

cuts in Rural Health Outreach grants to $11 million, from $39 million;

eliminating the $1.2 billion Perkins vocational education program;

cutting the Essential Air Service program to $50 million, from $102
million;

reducing the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships for small and
mid-size businesses to $47 million, from $109 million;

cutting the Agriculture Department's rural development program to
$13.5 billion, from $15.5 billion;

reductions in first-responder funds for rural areas;

and cuts in payments to counties with large amounts of federal land.


From The Washington Post, 2/14/05:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21552-2005Feb13.html

From Some Bush Supporters, Anger Over Budget

By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, February 14, 2005; Page A15


Red America is a bit red-in-the-face over President Bush's new budget.

Within a few hours of the release of the president's proposal last
week, Rep. John E. Peterson (R-Pa.), co-chairman of the Congressional
Rural Caucus, fired off a statement criticizing the president he
typically supports.

"We expected to fight cuts to rural programs under the Clinton
administration," he said.

"But those who are currently advocating these draconian cuts would not
be in office today if it weren't for rural America. These cuts
disproportionately target essential programs in rural communities
while turning a blind eye to the wasteful spending that is rampant in
many big cities across the country."

Peterson is no bleeding heart.

The Pennsylvania Republican has a 91 percent lifetime rating from the
American Conservative Union.

But he realized quickly that the budget Bush proposed would hit
hardest some of his most loyal supporters: the red states that voted
GOP last year and other conservative constituencies across the
country.

Agricultural programs would be cut 17 percent by 2010.

Cuts in farm subsidies would hit solidly Republican southern states
that produce cotton and rice.

Veterans' programs would be cut 16 percent.

Help for rural airports would be cut in half.

Money for first responders would shift to urban areas.

According to an analysis of Bush's budget proposals, red states won by
Bush in 2004 would experience cuts in federal grants in 2006 equal to
2.33 percent of their budgets on average.

_________________________________________________________________

Well, ya live and learn, eh Red-staters?

Harry