http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071111/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_veterans.........The veterans bill has gotten caught up in a larger battle between Bush and Congress over Democratic efforts to add about $23 billion for domestic programs to Bush's $933 billion proposal for all agency budgets.
In a joint letter to Bush on Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the president that the Democratic Congress wanted to work with him on spending bills.
"Key to this dialogue, however, is some willingness on your part to actually find common ground," they wrote. "Thus far, we have seen only a hard line drawn and a demand that we send only legislation that reflects your cuts to critical priorities of the American people."
The White House said there is no reason why Congress could not have sent the bill to the president by Veterans Day, as he requested, except that lawmakers wanted to attach it to other bills the president has said he would veto.
Once Bush was at Sunday's ceremony, however, he decided not to mention the budget fight.
Afterward, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush "significantly shortened" his remarks because the ceremony had already been more than an hour long. "I think he felt it was more important to shorten the remarks and meet with the families as scheduled," Johndroe said.