"It's a feedback loop, we ask CBO for scores to help us make the next set of decisions," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). The senator said they are still waiting for additional scores for other proposals, and that a final agreement would likely not head to the House or Senate floor before next week.
"We think we could have agreement on the issues in the next few days," Conrad said. "To get the whole thing done, it could take some time, but in terms of policy we really are very close."
While Democrats and Republicans said they are moving closer to agreement on the outstanding issues, they are facing a renewed veto threat from the White House. Lawmakers said that Republican committee members brought fresh concerns from the White House today that President Bush may veto the bill over its spending levels and scoring mechanisms, which allowed the committee to spend more by shifting some programs past the five-year term of the bill.
"The White House loses a lot of leverage for their other priorities when they send signals that they are going to veto this no matter what," Conrad said.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said this afternoon he is "pessimistic" that Bush will sign the bill, but "very hopeful" that Congress might be able to overcome a veto. It would take a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate to override a veto.
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