For Bush, Fiscal Responsibility Ends at the Shore For months, the Bush administration has been issue one veto threat after another, as the House and Senate approve appropriations bills that narrowly exceed the President's budget requests. Yesterday, the Senate approved, by a veto-proof 75-19 majority) the Labor-HHS bill, the largest domestic spending bill in the budget. The bill provides $152 billion in discretionary funds for medical research, early childhood education, community health centers, and nutrition services for seniors. The bill increases spending in these areas by five percent over last year. Bush requested an increase of 2.5 percent. If you support fiscal responsibility, how could you possibly support such a massive, budget-busting increase? In 2006, the President sought and got $120 billion in appropriations for Iraq to support military operations and indigenous security forces. This year, the corresponding figure was $170 billion (see today's CBO report, Table 2). That's an increase of 42 percent. If you support fiscal responsibility, how could you possibly support such a massive, budget-busting increase?