It was announced today that U.S. Trade Representative and former Congressman Rob Portman will most likely be the one to replace Josh Bolten as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Portman -- a long time friend of the President's who has claimed to "owe his career" to the Bush family -- shares the President's views on taxation, claiming today in the Rose Garden: "Now is not the time to risk losing ground by raising taxes," and stating his support of the administration’s agenda of extending tax cuts.

Last week the National Priorities Project released their annual publication Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go? The publication shows how the median income family's income tax dollars are spent for every state and 200 cities, towns and counties. It also looks at the shift in how tax dollars were spent in 2005 compared with 2000. For example, NPP has found that the military's share of the income tax dollar has risen by 20 percent since 2000, while the share of spending has dropped for job training (-21 percent), environment (-19 percent), housing (-7 percent) and veteran's benefits (-2 percent).

It appears the budget bill passed by the House budget committee has garnered a good deal of opposition on both sides of the aisle. Democrats are, of course, opposed to the strict cap on discretionary spending in the budget (set at $873 billion). A number of moderate Republicans also oppose the bill, and while many of them are pushing for $7.2 billion more in discretionary spending to be added, there is little chance the Rules Committee will allow them to offer the amendment. Republican Rep.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved yet another supplemental funding bill today by a 27-1 vote. The bill funds an additional $105 billion in fiscal 2006 supplemental spending - most of the money would fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane relief.