The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, along with the ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Budget Committees are urging the GOP leadership in congress to suspend consideration of the budget and tax cuts outlined in this years budget resolution as the country continues to assess the impact of, and future needs for the recovery from, Hurricane Katrina. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and John Spratt (D-MO) sent a letter to their Republican counterparts today expressing the need for a re-evaluation of national priorities in the wake of this tragedy. The letter states, "The budget resolution - including its reconciliation instructions - is a fundamental statement of our policy priorities. Hurricane Katrina will require a rethinking of these priorities." With concerns already mounting about the increase in deficits caused by emergency funding for the victims of the hurricane, it will become more difficult for Republican leaders to justify cutting many programs survivors are likely to depend on while at the same time extending tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans and undermine the government's ability to provide more relief and recovery resources to the Gulf Coast region in the months and years ahead.