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Bush lowers bar for Congress on extending tax cuts
Louisville, Ky., Feb 27: US President George W. Bush told Congress on Thursday he would settle for now for making permanent only those of his tax cuts set to expire next year, after fellow Republicans warned the rest may have to wait until after the November election.
Louisville, Ky., Feb 27: US President George W. Bush told Congress on Thursday he would settle for now for making permanent only those of his tax cuts set to expire next year, after fellow Republicans warned the rest may have to wait until after the November election.
The comments underscore the difficulty the administration faces advancing its election-year agenda at a time of record budget deficits. The White House says Bush remains committed to making all of his tax cuts permanent -- at a cost of around 1 trillion over
the next decade -- even if only step by step.
Bush swung into full campaign mode in Kentucky, which has lost thousands of jobs since he became President.
Without mentioning Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry by name, Bush derided his political rival for opposing the extension of his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
``That`s code word for `I`m going to raise your taxes,``` Bush yesterday told workers at an expanding pipe-making company.
``We don`t need to be raising taxes right now as the economy is beginning to recover. We`ve got plenty of money in Washington DC,`` Bush said, making no mention of this year`s projected half-trillion-dollar budget deficit.
After chatting with workers, bush raised 1.2 million for his re-election campaign at a 2,000-a-plate luncheon. It was his sixth visit to Kentucky, which he won in 2000.
Two stops in North Carolina were canceled because of snow.
After months on the defensive over Iraq, job growth and his military record, Bush has plunged wholeheartedly this week into the campaign fray, challenging Kerry, a Massachusetts Senator, and other Democrats on the economy and national security.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, another Democratic presidential contender, shot back at Bush, saying American families ``need more from their president than economic photo-ops and 2,000-a-plate fund-raisers”. Bureau Report
Bush swung into full campaign mode in Kentucky, which has lost thousands of jobs since he became President.
Without mentioning Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry by name, Bush derided his political rival for opposing the extension of his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
``That`s code word for `I`m going to raise your taxes,``` Bush yesterday told workers at an expanding pipe-making company.
``We don`t need to be raising taxes right now as the economy is beginning to recover. We`ve got plenty of money in Washington DC,`` Bush said, making no mention of this year`s projected half-trillion-dollar budget deficit.
After chatting with workers, bush raised 1.2 million for his re-election campaign at a 2,000-a-plate luncheon. It was his sixth visit to Kentucky, which he won in 2000.
Two stops in North Carolina were canceled because of snow.
After months on the defensive over Iraq, job growth and his military record, Bush has plunged wholeheartedly this week into the campaign fray, challenging Kerry, a Massachusetts Senator, and other Democrats on the economy and national security.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, another Democratic presidential contender, shot back at Bush, saying American families ``need more from their president than economic photo-ops and 2,000-a-plate fund-raisers”. Bureau Report