Reps to Bush: Cut $$$

Reps to Bush: Cut $$$

My Way - Republicans Warn Bush on Spending, Deficits

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in Congress have privately told the White House to do more to rein in government spending and reduce the federal budget deficit -- or risk a potential backlash against some of President Bush's budget priorities, congressional aides said on Saturday.

The warning from conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives comes just days before Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday, in which, aides say, he will tout progress boosting economic growth.

Bush will send to Congress his $2.3 trillion budget for fiscal 2005 on Feb. 2. In it, he will call for limiting spending growth for most government programs to under 4 percent and for cutting the deficit in half over five years.

But a growing number of fiscal conservatives are skeptical.

They say spending under Bush is growing too fast. And rather than impose restraint on Congress, as fellow Republicans had expected, Bush has enacted costly new legislation, including a sweeping Medicare prescription drug plan, that will put additional strain on the budget. . . .