President Bush will try to work out a deal on spending with the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill, but will be prepared to veto bills that exceed his total budget or that slice away at defense needs, said Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman.
"With the Democrat leadership, we'll try to be transparent and we'll try to be clear in our concerns upfront, and I hope we can work things out without resorting to a veto. But if necessary we will resort to a veto," Mr. Portman told The Washington Times in an interview about the upcoming budget and the Democratic control of Congress.
Democrats took both houses of Congress in the Nov. 7 elections. Mr. Portman, a former six-term congressman from Ohio, has assumed the role of go-between, making use of his relationships with many of the top lawmakers to find areas of cooperation on annual spending and on thorny issues such as Social Security. |