Budget cuts under discussion

WASHINGTON – Republicans began targeting key programs for budget cuts Tuesday, from student loans and health care to food stamps and foster care. But the tough measures immediately drew staunch opposition from anti-poverty groups, businesses and moderate Republicans.

Sixteen congressional committees began cobbling together one of the most comprehensive bills in years, touching issues such as trade policy, prescription drug reimbursements, agriculture price supports and the future of welfare.

The rash of spending that followed Hurricane Katrina two months ago has emboldened conservatives to push for cuts far beyond what Congress could agree to in a budget blueprint in the spring.

“Listen, we’re broke. Let’s face it,” said Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, which will try today to finish legislation saving $18.1 billion over five years from pension protection and student loan programs.

But the same hurricane has also pricked the conscience of Democrats and some Republican moderates who are reluctant to trim anti-poverty programs in light of the misfortune that Katrina spotlighted.

“Members of Congress are breaking this down; they’re not just looking at a bottom-line, symbolic number,” said Rep. Michael Castle, Del., a leader of House Republican moderates who stand as a major impediment to the final legislation.

This spring, Congress approved a fiscal 2006 budget blueprint calling for $35 billion in savings over five years. Now House leaders are trying to win enough votes to increase those projected savings by $15 billion. But they are encountering stiff opposition from rank-and-file House members, as well as from the Senate.