Bush Being Fiscally Responsible?

He's even threatening a veto!

President Bush asked Congress yesterday for $2.2 billion in new spending to rebuild the hurricane protection system for the New Orleans area, even as he threatened to veto the overall spending bill if Congress did not remove a cornucopia of non-emergency items.

In an unusually blunt message to Senate leaders, the White House demanded that lawmakers eliminate $14 billion in domestic provisions and "remain focused on urgent national priorities."

Wonder how pork laden this bill has gotten. I mean in number of earmarks, not money. Glad to see those reforms are moving so well in the congress.

The flood protection money, added to a request already before Congress for $1.4 billion for rebuilding the levees, would be used to replace 36 miles of flood walls around the city with higher walls of a stronger design. It is part of a $19.8 billion request from the administration for work in Louisiana in a $106 billion emergency spending bill that was originally intended for the Iraq war and hurricane recovery.

The levee request immediately angered members of the Louisiana delegation, however, because it called for the state to pay 35 percent of the cost of raising the flood walls.

"It's a very bad precedent," said Representative Bobby Jindal, a Republican. "The state's not in a position to pay. We're talking about rebuilding levees that were not built properly in the first place. This is a clear federal responsibility."

I suppose it is a federal responsibility, but not sure I like the fact that it is. No doubt with the urgency of an emergency spending bill the pork is flying on by the truck load. I'd say Jindal should be shaming his piggish colleagues to try and force some restraint.

I'll still be surprised if Bush doesn't sign the bill even if it's packed with pork.