The president's first veto could be on a war spending bill

This from the A.P.:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A must-pass Senate bill funding the war in Iraq and hurricane aid for the Gulf Coast faces a vote Thursday, but a veto threat imperils many provisions added by lawmakers.

The bill is now about $14 billion more than President Bush wants. That means items such as $4 billion in farm disaster aid and $1 billion in state grants not requested by Bush may have to be dropped during House-Senate negotiations.

Also at risk are Senate add-ons such as $1.1 billion in aid to the Gulf Coast seafood industry; $648 million for port security; and $1.9 billion to secure U.S. borders and waters. In trouble, too, may be Bush's effort to boost the budget for New Orleans flood control projects to $3.7 billion.

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, May 3 — President Bush prodded Congress over tax cuts on Wednesday and renewed his threat to veto a bill that would pay for the Iraq war and Gulf Coast recovery if the Senate measure's price tag was too high.

Bush's domestic legacy seems set on deficit spending.

The Washington Post:

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement this week on legislation to extend the deep tax cuts on capital gains and dividends beyond their scheduled 2008 expiration date, through 2010. Final passage of the agreement must wait until Republican tax writers agree on a second tax bill that includes many of the tax breaks jettisoned from the measure on capital gains and dividends. If the deal wins congressional approval, every major tax cut passed in Bush's first term will be set to expire on the same day five years from now.