Senators have been working this week through a number of amendments related to the appropriations bill to provide funding for treasury, transportation, housing, and judiciary programs for FY 2006 (H.R. 3058), and on Wednesday the White House issued a handful of veto threats against the bill. According to BNA, in the Statement of Administration Policy issued by the White House, veto threats "were levied against transportation programs, an easing of sanctions against Cuba, and the lack of a ban for the use of certain federal dollars to carry out abortions." Specifically relating to transportation, the White House threatened a possible veto if:

The level of transportation funding, which exceeded the level contained in the recently enacted surface transportation law by $4.2 billion, is not decreased;

A $2.3 billion rescission of highway contract authority is included in the measure;

$1.45 billion in funding for Amtrak is allocated without those dollars being accompanied by certain "reforms."

In related news, the White House may flag the Finance Committee's Medicare proposal, which would cut more than $10 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. The White House is unenthusiastic about the proposal mostly because of the committee's decision to save about $5.4 billion by draining a fund which provides incentives to private health plans. Insurance planners also said the move was unfair in that it changes "the rules governing how private plans interact with Medicare before the new drug benefit kicks in." The committee, however, chose to make a cut in this fund to avoid some having to make more politically difficult cuts that would directly affect Medicare beneficiaries.